The Fifth Dragon
by Masked Misfit
Summary: After she loses all ability to control her element, Meg, the fifth dragon that never was, desperately searches for the Xiaolin Temple for help, but she comes across Jack Spicer, who pays a visit to Chase when he realises who Meg is. RaixKim
1. The Wonders of the Internet

CHAPTER ONE: The Wonders of the Internet

Master Fung frowned. If he had known that recruiting the Xiaolin monks would have been so difficult, he would have delegated the task, but he felt comforted by the fact that he had already managed to get four of the five monks to the temple.

"Meg, please do not make the wrong decision. I implore you to reconsider. Failure to master your element could result in serious consequences." He said into the phone, listening intently for the response from the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to leave my family here and move all the way to China." The childish voice of a thirteen year old girl responded from the other end of the phone. "I can't move to the other side of the world. It's too far."

"If you do not learn to control your element, you could hurt someone. It is vitally important that you come to China and learn to use your element." Master Fung answered, almost pleading.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I'm not moving the China. Try someone else." The young voice was firm now.

"Please, Meg-" Master Fung started, but it was too late. Meg had already put down the phone. Sighing, Master Fung put down the phone as well.

The small but familiar orphan Omi peered around the door curiously. "Master Fung, are you recruiting more monks for me to teach?"

"No, Omi." Master Fung said quietly, as he turned away from the tiny little monk to stare out of the window.

Omi was alive with excitement. He was an orphan, and had lived at the Xiaolin Temple under Master Fung's command for as long as he could remember, with little or no other company, but now Master Fung had brought three new people to the Temple. From what Omi could see, they were highly uneducated, unprincipled and unskilled. Omi knew he was a skilled warrior, and he assumed that Master Fung had brought them to the Temple for Omi to teach.

Like Omi, they possessed special powers; the ability to control the elements. He had known them for a few hours. There was a small Japanese girl, who acted very strangely to Omi and had many devices that he had never seen, one of which made her be able to communicate with someone hundreds of miles away. There was a tall Brazilian boy, with brown hair, who seemed to like to cause trouble and there was also a well-built boy from Texas, who wore a cowboy hat. All in all, Omi felt like he had a large task to tackle, but he knew with Master Fung's help, he could straighten them out and shape them into excellent clones of himself.

When he had turned the corner and heard Master Fung on the telephone, Omi had assumed Master Fung was bringing more over, but apparently not. The excitement inside of Omi died down a little bit, and the small monk turned to walk back towards his new 'students'.

* * *

><p>THREE YEARS LATER<p>

Thousands of miles away, in England, Meg brushed her long, curly brown hair. She sighed and put down the brush, looking at herself in the mirror.

"I'm not a freak..." She said to herself, but she didn't sound sure at all. For some reason, when she said it to herself, it made it seem a little bit more true.

She had first found out about her powers when she had gotten into a fight at school five years ago. Meg was a feisty girl and seemed to find trouble quite often. The school bully; a fat girl called Kelsey, had threatened her. Meg, of course, didn't stand for this and a fight broke out. Kelsey had jumped on Meg, crushing her beneath her weight. Meg closed her eyes, struggling for breath. Then a strange feeling bubbled inside Meg's body, rushing to the surface of her skin, bursting out of her... And then the weight was gone. Kelsey began screaming and Meg thrust her eyes open. Flashing around the outline of her body were sparks, all of which were thrusting towards Kelsey's body, making her scream and twitch uncontrollably.

That was the first time she had ever realised she had a power over lightning, it was three years later and it had gotten much worse since then. Meg remembered how she'd received many telephone calls from a desperate 'Master Fung', who convinced her that there she was normal, that she could go somewhere to learn to control her element, but Meg, being frightened, refused to leave her home.

Meg stared at the mirror, looking at the brown eyes which reflected back at her. Not only had Meg managed to kill the neighbour's dog by accident after she shocked him, she now blew up and short circuited almost anything electrical. She used candles to light her bedroom instead of her lightswitch. _Candles, in this day and age! _She'd also spent a few months in a Young Offenders Institute, which was a terrible experience for her. One thing that being inside had taught her was to defend herself, she still remembered her first day in there, when she'd been attacked. The thought of it still made her shudder now, even after all this time.

Meg remembered the many phone calls she'd received from 'Master Fung' years ago. She wished now she had taken his offer and gone to China to learn how to control herself. She raised her hand, staring at it as the familiar feeling of power rushed to her finger tips. Electricity crackled between her fingertips, sending streaks of white between her fingers, lighting up the room.

Her family didn't understand that she couldn't help it. They thought she was crazy when she told them what she could do. When Meg tried to prove it, they closed their eyes, stuffed their fingers in their ears, ignored her words; simply refused to listen.

Meg stood up almost too quickly and put on the pair of black gloves she always wore to protect her family when they touched her. The lightning seemed to always generate in her hands, for some reason. It was late at night, but she had little need for sleep today. Her parent's never bothered her, so she knew she would remain undisturbed. She delved into her small wardrobe, pulling out the old laptop at the bottom of it. She pressed the power button, hoping that she wouldn't blow it up by accident.

After almost half an hour, the laptop was finally ready to use. She opened up her favourite search engine and prepared herself to type...

But what to type...?

She could barely remember what it was called. She remembered the voice of 'Master Fung' and how he'd tried to get her to move to China... But she couldn't remember what it was called; there was some sort of Temple, where she could train to become a Warrior. A 'Dragon', Master Fung had called them. He assured her that there were others like her, who could control elements. Now Meg knew that she needed to do something to fix this terrible mess. If only she could remember what the Temple was called. She knew it was something that sounded strange to her.

She groaned in frustration and, in her desperation, typed in a few choice words into the search engine, 'China, Temple, Warrior's and Power's.' Meg clicked Enter, wondering at her chances of finding what she wanted.

To her surprise, there was one result that seemed relevant. She clicked on it, and raised her eyebrows immediately. It was a black page, full of bright green writing and many pictures of a pale, red-headed boy wearing a strange outfit. The title at the top of the page said 'Jack Spicer: The Blog of an Evil Boy Genius." Meg combed the many pages of the teenagers' blog, bored almost as soon as she started. The whiny teen complained about someone called 'Wuya' and obsessed about finding the 'Shen Gong Wu'. Meg was confused, and almost certain that this boy was insane, but Meg was desperate to find answers.

And then she found it, the word she'd been looking for in a sentence of Jack Spicer's blog: 'I sent my Jackbots at the Xiaolin losers when we attacked the Temple.'

"Xiaolin." Meg repeated, smiling at her luck. "Right, I need to find out more about this."

She clicked back to the search engine and typed in 'Xiaolin'. There were little results that seemed remotely relevant.

"Damn..." She muttered, and then bit her lip. Her mind was whirring away, wondering if she could possibly get in contact with this 'Jack Spicer', maybe he could tell her more about these "Xiaolin losers." She went back onto his page, scrolling down to look for a contact email address.

Right at the bottom of the page, in small yellow writing said "If you want to join my team, email me and I'll think about it. No spaces guaranteed." Which was followed by a link to email him; Meg clicked and began writing the email.

She was polite in her choice of words, trying to seem genuinely interested in him and the Xiaolin losers. She wrote a lengthy message, leaving out any details about herself.

Meg wondered when she would get a response, since she was desperate to control the energy that swelled inside her.

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><p><strong>(Please review!) <strong>


	2. Evil Boy Genius

CHAPTER TWO: Evil Boy Genius

Jack Spicer sighed. The teen had been troubled for quite some time. His life was an endless spiral of misery. Ever since the arrival of those Xiaolin losers, he'd never managed to get anything right. Those twerps had always bested him. The few times he had won a battle against them had been short lived, he'd even teamed up with them a few times, but overall, he would never really win against them.

Everyone had abandoned him; even his parents had stopped supporting his ideas. He was an evil boy genius, who deserved way more respect that he got. Even Wuya had left him and started following Chase around like a little lost puppy.

The last little ray of hope that Jack had was trying to impress Chase, but even that was a failed mission before it had even started. He put his hands on the well-lit table in the basement of his home, or, as he preferred to call it, his Lair, dropped his head and sighed. He had no Shen Gong Wu or any methods of finding any. He adjusted the goggles, which nestled in his red hair into a comfortable position, and groaned. With one fluid motion, all the various pieces of paper and sketches that had been on his table landed on the floor. He turned around and dropped into his computer chair. There were various screen's all over his desk, but he switched them all off. He didn't need any data anymore.

He decided he was giving up on being an evil boy genius; he would never succeed. Maybe he could give it all up, and be a regular teenager. The idea sounded awful, but Jack couldn't continue the way he was. He was a washout. Nothing was compelling him to even try anymore.

Feeling exceptionally sorry for himself, he switched on his computer and visited his blog. He began writing a length paragraph, whining about how unfair life was, when he noticed he had a message in his inbox. He felt excitement bubble up inside him; he'd never gotten a message on his blog before. Maybe someone wanted to join him! Forgetting all about the paragraph he'd typed, he clicked on the flashing icon and the message popped open.

It was a short but polite message from a girl in England. Meg, her name was. She expressed an interest in "the Xiaolin losers", and where their Temple was, but there was no mention of any specifics.

Jack smiled,

"I've found an accomplice." He said, grinning widely, "She's going to come here and join me."

Almost immediately, he began writing a response.

"Dear Meg,

The Xiaolin losers are pathetic; you don't need to worry about them when you join me. It'll be great, we can totally look out for each other and we can raid their temple. You asked where the Temple was. I can show you if you can make it to China, then we can begin on conquest.

This is going to be fun,

Jack Spicer – Evil Boy Genius."

Jack pressed send, and smiled widely at his luck.

* * *

><p>When Meg received the response, she couldn't help but feel that Jack had gotten the wrong end of the stick. She typed her response almost immediately. She knew he would respond quickly now, and she couldn't wait for him to respond. She was once again closer to learning to control her stupid powers. He knew where the Temple was.<p>

"Dear Jack,

I think you've gotten the wrong end of the stick. I'm not looking for a partner; I need to get to the Xiaolin Temple. I can't say why, but I need to get there. All I need is directions, if you would be so kind?

Sincerely,

Meg."

* * *

><p>It had been almost a week since she sent her response to Jack, and she still hadn't heard anything back. For a while, she had wondered whether Jack had lost interest in her. She felt very lost again; after all, Jack was her only hope of reaching the Temple now. She grew very impatient as she waited. She even blew up the bathroom light as she took a bath, which shattered glass all over the bathroom, and into her bath. It took her a while to fish all of the glass out of the bathtub, resulting in a few cuts on her fingers.<p>

She had almost given up hope when she finally received a message back. "Thank God, he's replied." She murmured, adjusting the gloves on her hands. She hesitated for a moment, then clicked open his message.

"Dear Meg,

Fine, I'll give you directions to the Temple, if you make your way to my lair first. If you want my services, I still think you should check out my lair. I can even take you to the Temple myself. Just get to China and get to my house."

Underneath was an address, she assumed this was Jack Spicer's home. Meg smiled.

_Finally, I'm going to sort out this problem. _

She looked in the mirror at those familiar brown eyes, "I'm not a freak..." She said to her herself, then adjusted the gloves on her hands.

"Right, I'm booking a one-way ticket to China; I'm going to learn to be a Xiaolin loser." Her stomach bubbled in excitement and she felt the familiar feeling of emotion rush to the surface of her body. She moved her hands away from the laptop quickly, holding them out as if they were a bomb. There was a flash of white as the lightning burst out of her fingertips. It exploded out of the bottom of her gloves and crackled around her fingertips. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished. Meg scowled and shook her hands around, as if she could shake the element out of her body. After a frustrated groan, she pulled the laptop back onto her lap.

Within half an hour, Meg had managed to book a one-way ticket to China and respond to Jack's message. Almost immediately she began packing her bags. Meg knew that she had little reason to trust this Jack character, but Meg could take care of herself. If anyone tried to hurt her, Meg could easily defend herself. She'd been out on the street's all night without her parents knowing and been attacked by muggers, she'd got away without a scratch.

It didn't take her long to pack all of her belongings.

Meg had been alone for a long time. She'd stopped going to school after she'd realised what she might do to people without intending to. She wasn't going to be called a freak by them. Her parent's ignored her.

_They won't miss me._

She picked up her travel case as she looked back at her old bedroom. It was a tiny little room, messy and stuffy, but it was home for Meg. She would miss her bedroom, but bigger and greater things were waiting for her on the other side of the world. She clutched a piece of paper in her hand tightly; it held Jack Spicer's address.

She blew out the candle that had lit her room and closed the door behind her. She couldn't help but wonder if she would ever return.

* * *

><p>Jack Spicer was working on a robot in his lair. Ever since Meg had messaged him back to say she would be arriving at his house; he was a man possessed. He couldn't get enough of plotting evil schemes. She'd told him that she wasn't looking for a partner, but she didn't have to be to work with Jack. He was determined to make her join his cause; defeating those Xiaolin losers.<p>

Jack stood up and climbed the basement stairs. He hated leaving his lair, especially when it was the evening. His parents had a bad habit of playing their favourite music in the evenings, which Jack found terrible. He ignored the sounds of his parent's music and proceeded to the kitchen, where he poured himself a strong cup of coffee.

"Knock it off!" He yelled at his parents, who turned the dreadful music up louder to annoy him; it would be their idea of a joke. Jack scowled. "Stupid mom..." He muttered under his breath, barely making sense as he ranted on to himself privately as the music thudded through the house. He took a sip of his coffee and left the mug on the side; nothing was worth staying to listen to this. Just as he was about to make his way towards his lair, there was a knock on his front door.

"Mom! Did you invite friends round again?" He yelled over the music, listening intently for a response. Nothing. "MOM!" He shouted, but there was still no response.

With a heavy sigh, Jack walked towards the front door and pulled it open.

His heart almost stopped, as standing in the door way; looking extremely nervous, was a beautiful girl. Her long hair was a natural brown colour and curly; it hung just past her shoulders. She was pale, but the way her hair framed her face made her appear hauntingly beautiful. She wore a short black t-shirt with the logo of her favourite band on it and dark coloured jeans, as well as a pair of high-tops. Her deep, brown eyes seemed to glow, making them seem to stand out more than any other of her features, which was odd for Jack, since he hadn't failed to notice that he found her body in perfect proportion. He also noticed that she wore a thick pair of black gloves, which he also found extremely odd – the weather was too warm for gloves.

"Hi," She smiled when she saw him, "Are you Jack?"

"Y-yes." Jack stammered, overwhelmed by her. Jack couldn't help but marvel at her strong British accent. It made his American accent sound boring and average; her voice was enchanting.

_For you, I could be anyone._

"Oh hi, I'm Meg, you said you'd give me directions to the Xiaolin Temple, remember?" She said, shifting her footing nervously.

"Yeah, come in." Jack stared, stepping aside so she could enter his home. She smiled nervously and stepped inside, pulling her travel case with her. She looked around his home perceptively as Jack closed the door behind her.

"F-follow me." He stammered again, walking through his home as Meg followed closely behind him. "Sorry about the music." He shouted as the music grew louder. Meg smiled and shouted a response, "No problem."

The music grew quieter as Jack opened the door to his lair. He began walking down the stairs. Meg looked at the steep steps and picked up her travel case. Jack turned around and held out his pale hands, "Let me." He said, almost taking the case off her. Meg opened her mouth to protest but Jack smiled a little and spoke over her. "I insist." Meg felt the case be removed from her hands as Jack carried it down the steps for her. He was groaning lightly as if it was heavy, Meg felt a smirk slip onto her face – the case was no trouble at all for her. Jack reached the bottom of the stairs and put the suitcase on the floor.

"Do you want to sit down? I bet you're tired." Jack said, gesturing towards the little black sofa in the corner of his basement.

"Thanks." Meg took a seat, thankful for the opportunity to rest her sore feet. She had done so much travelling today, she felt a little jet-lagged.

Meg was a little over-whelmed by Jack Spicer. He had to be the weirdest person she'd ever laid eyes upon. He wore a slick black robe of some sort and strange looking boots. He had red hair, which was spiked in the most unusual style. In his hair was a pair of yellow spiral goggles, nestled just above his forehead. His eyes were a cold red colour and under his eyes were some black marks, created with thick eyeliner.

His "lair" was just his basement. There was only one light in the whole room; which was a bright white light that made the table glow harshly. It was full of shelves and computers, as well as various sketches of robot designs and mechanical parts pinned to the walls. There were also actually pieces of robot scattered around the dim room.

"So this is your lair." Meg said, attempting to make idle conversation.

"Yeah, I work here a lot. Do you like it?" Jack turned to her and looked into her eyes, preparing to detect if she lied to him.

"It's... very different." She replied quietly, trying to avoid giving a straight answer. She looked away from him, avoiding his cold gaze.

There was a long silence, where Meg looked around the room awkwardly and Jack watched her. Jack finally spoke after a long time.

"You know, I was thinking that you should stay here for the night. It's getting too late to be travelling."

She turned her eyes back to him as he sat in his computer chair. Meg let out a short chuckle.

"If you just give me the directions, I can go myself. I don't need an escort, although it was nice of you to offer. I can handle myself."

It was Jack's turn to chuckle now. He stood up.

"You don't look like the sort of girl who can throw a punch. No offense." He added quickly as Meg scowled.

"I'd feel much better if I escorted you myself; we go tomorrow." Jack said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Sighing, Meg nodded. It was completely and utterly unnecessary for him to accompany her, but, as Jack so plainly knew, he was her only method of reaching the Temple.

"I'm working on a robot right now. Want to help?" Jack gestured towards the pile of metal on his table.

"Uhh..." Meg hesitated, "Not a good idea. I don't know that much about mechanics." She tried to look innocent, but she began to feel very warm as her face burned.

"Don't worry, I'll just ask you to pass me stuff." Jack smiled, unaware of the potential danger Meg might be.

"Okay..." She squeaked, standing up and walking towards the table cautiously. She adjusted her gloves. Jack eyed her.

"You need to take those off. Some of these parts are oily. You don't want to wreck your gloves." He reached out to take them from her. She snapped her hands back.

"I need them on, thank you." She smiled so she didn't appear to be rude.

"What's the matter?" Jack looked at her suspiciously.

"I'd rather keep them on." Meg was beginning to feel agitated. She was easily angered, especially when people didn't understand. She knew the dangers of her emotions, and tried to calm herself down. She felt the power bubbling dangerously close to her surface.

"Don't be stupid, Meg. You need to take them off, or they'll get wrecked. It's too warm to wear gloves." Jack thought she was being deliberately awkward. He'd misinterpreted the signs. He thought she was playing some sort of game; the way her hands were positioned, they were the perfect angle to snatch them out off her hands. Jack stupidly thought it was her idea of a game; that she wanted him to take them off her. Jack smiled and lunged to grab them.

What happened next neither of them were prepared for.

As soon as the glove left her hand, a bolt of lightning shot out of Meg's hand, shooting straight towards Jack, who screamed like a girl, as he often had a tendency of doing. Meg shrieked, pulling back her hand. In a flash, the lightning vanished and Jack was left twitching on the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" Meg choked, reaching to help him to hit feet. She grabbed his sweaty hand and pulled him upright using her gloved hand; her other hand was tucked safely inside her jean pocket.

"What was that?" Jack whimpered, terror clear in his eyes.

"Must have been the friction." Meg lied shakily.

"No that was like... it was coming out of you. It was like it was you." Jack muttered, staring at her in fear.

Meg sighed and let go of him, trembling slightly. She turned away from him. Exactly what she hadn't wanted to happen, had happened. Jack Spicer had found out about her power. She had no idea what to say to him. How could she explain herself to him? She blinked away tears in her eyes.

"What are you, Meg?" Jack asked quietly.

"I'm a freak." She whispered, hugging herself with her gloved hand and lowering her head. "They can help me at the Temple, that's why I have to go."

Jack looked at her saddened form.

"Help you?" Jack asked, still shaky from the shock, "How?"

"They can help me control it, so I don't hurt anyone." Meg said quietly, turning to face him.

"You'd be a great evil accomplice. I still think you should join me. With that power, I'd have an easy life." Jack smiled. He was being serious, but Meg chuckled.

Jacks mind flashed with an image that made him grin. Chase Young was speaking directly to him in Chase's home, congratulating him. "Well done, Jack." Chase patted Meg on the shoulder and bowed respectfully to Jack, who smiled at the reversal in roles. Meg clapped for Jack, who was being cheered for by his subjects. Chase was laughing with Jack and treating him as his equal. "You've found the fifth dragon!"

Jack's mind was ticking furiously as he worked on his plan to ensure that this image happened.

"I'd better get you somewhere to rest." Jack smiled at her in a friendly way.

Meg would never know what had hit her.

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><p><strong>(Please Review! I like reviews!)<strong>


	3. Lies & Deceit

CHAPTER THREE:

Meg muttered in her sleep, tossing over on the sofa Jack had let her sleep on. He had given her a thin black blanket and a spare pillow to sleep on. Jack had watched her for a while after she'd fallen asleep. He found her simply marvellous, but there was one thing more important than the "hot" girl sleeping on his couch – Chase Young. Jack crept around her in the darkness, barely able to see. He could have found his way through his lair blindfolded.

He made his way to the computer chair, flicked on the monitor and clicked the power button. The computer's fan started whirring noisily and Jack whipped around to see Meg mumbling some more. The light from the computers screen seemed to burst out of the screen, filling the whole room with light. After hastily pressing a few choice buttons, Jack managed to dial the brightness of the computer down. Jack sighed in relief as the computer fully loaded itself. The muttering from behind him told Jack that Meg was still asleep.

Jack clicked a logo on his Desktop and some software he had created loaded up. It was some software that Jack had made especially for himself and Chase to use. It was essentially a video link, which meant that Chase and Jack could chat whenever they wanted. Chase usually ignored Jack when he appeared on the screen; Wuya didn't blame him for it either. Jack whispered into his microphone.

"Chase, are you there? It's important."

There was an annoyed sigh and a familiar chuckle.

"Jackie, what are you doing up at this late hour?" Wuya's ghostly voice teased through the microphone of Chase's computer. There was a small whoosh and she appeared in the camera's shot. Jack preferred talking to her this way; Jack wasn't able to smell her bad breath anymore, unfortunately, he could still see her.

"Wuya," Jack hissed at her, "Get Chase, it's important this time."

"Now Jackie, is that any way to speak to me when you want a favour?" Wuya smirked, purposely being irritating.

"It's actually important this time; this could change everything." Jack whispered louder than he meant to. He whipped his head around to see Meg turn onto her side, facing the wall. He sighed in relief again.

"Who's that in the background?" Wuya asked, "Jack, have you got a girlfriend? She's a little out of your league isn't she?"

"Shh! No, she's not my girlfriend. Go get Chase, he needs to hear this." Jack spat, trying to hurry her along.

"Fine, fine." Wuya grumbled, floating out of the screen. Meg muttered again. It was deadly silent for a few moments as Jack waited.

"Spicer, what could be so important that you dare to bother me at this time of the night?" Chase's voice was heard before Jack saw him. When Chase stepped into the camera, Jack was surprised to see he was still in his familiar armour; it was at least two in the morning. Jack was in his blue pyjamas with lots of little sheep on them and suddenly felt very conscious of this.

"Chase, I think I've found something that you're going to find interesting."

"Go on then." Chase sounded bored, as he often did when Jack spoke to him.

"This is Meg." Jack whispered excitedly, trying to contain his voice and excitement. He'd never before held Chase's full attention. He moved out of the camera's shot for a second so that Chase and Wuya could catch a glimpse of the snoozing girl on Jack's sofa. Jack noticed Chase raised his eyebrows. "She's like the fifth dragon that never was. She's trying to get to the Temple to join them. She can make lightning appear out of nowhere, I'm telling you Chase, she's got an element. I've seen the Xiaolin losers use their element loads of times, this was exactly like this. Meg has an element of lightning."

"That's all very interesting, Spicer, but how does that affect us?" Wuya asked, attempting to sound bored, like Chase. Jack noticed how she had said "us", not Chase.

"I was thinking that if we could harness Meg to be like us, it would give us a major advantage over the Xiaolin losers." Jack said, rather smugly. He was so pleased with himself.

"While that is true, I am unsure if I could use Meg to our advantage. Is she strong-willed?" Chase asked curiously, trying to see past Jack's head to look at her.

"I think so." Jack whispered.

"Bring her here tomorrow at noon. I will determine my choice then. Who knows, if I can mould her to the correct shape, so to speak, I may have a better warrior than I anticipated Omi to be." Jack spotted a rare smile form on Chase's face.

"How am I supposed to get her to you? She'll ask questions." Jack asked, looking back at the sleeping girl, who was muttering on his couch.

"You'll have to work it out for yourself." Wuya said smugly. Spicer nodded and smiled as he clicked 'close' on his computer. The conversation disappeared and the room dropped into darkness once again as the computer closed down. The grin on Jack's face truly spread from ear to ear.

* * *

><p>"Rise and shine sleepyhead." Jack called in a singsong voice. Meg stirred and forced her stiff body upright. Whilst rubbing her eyes, Meg could hear Jack moving around her.<p>

"Huh?" She could faintly smell bacon and eggs in Jack's lair. She opened her eyes to see Jack sitting at his table eating some breakfast, smiling and waving at her.

"You're a late sleeper aren't you?" Jack said, ruffling his bright red hair slightly, "Since you're away from home, I figured I'd make you a full English breakfast. You like those right?" The hope in his voice wasn't hidden very well.

Meg was still dazed. It was taking her a while to catch up on current events. After her brain kicked itself into gear, she thrust off the thin blanket and pulled herself upright.

"What time is it?" She asked groggily, thrown off by the lack of daylight in Jack's basement.

"It's about ten o clock. Are you going to eat your breakfast? It's going cold." Jack asked cheerfully. He shoved a fork-load of bacon into his mouth and chewed it noisily. He washed down his bacon with a large gulp of orange juice.

Meg walked towards the table and took a seat at it. In front of her was a large plate full of bacon, eggs, tomatoes, fried bread, sausages, beans and a few mushrooms.

"Wow, thanks." Meg dived in immediately. It wasn't until she started eating that she realised how hungry she was. There was also a glass of orange juice for her and she gulped it down.

Meg was finished far too quickly and Jack looked pleased that she had eaten it all. He took her plate and glass, as well as his own, and left the basement to go and wash the dishes.

Meg seized this opportunity to go into her travel case and pick out some new clothes. She picked out a small blue t-shirt and some denim jeans. She dressed quickly in the bathroom, which was adjoining to Jack's basement, knowing Jack would be back anytime soon. She pulled on her high-tops and most importantly – her gloves. She smiled and looked in the mirror.

"After today, I won't have to wear these anymore." She said to herself, "I won't be a freak."

Meg left the bathroom to see Jack typing on his computer. When she closed the bathroom door behind her, Jack snapped his head towards her and smiled, looking her up and down.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked, stfanding up.

After a bracing breath, Meg nodded and smiled.

"Nervous?" Jack asked as he picked up her travel case. He walked towards the wall and pressed a button, which caused the wall to slide across, revealing a black car.

"A little..." Meg wasn't concentrating too much on Jack at the moment. She was more in awe at the sliding wall.

"Come on; let's get you to the Temple." Jack smiled. Meg didn't notice the bead of sweat appear on his forehead - lying never was Jack's strong point.

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><p><strong>(Review please - I love a nice review!)<strong>


	4. In Good Hands

CHAPTER FOUR: IN GOOD HANDS

"It doesn't look much like a Temple does it?" Meg asked, looking upon Chase's home with interest. Jack laughed nervously.

"It used to be one, but they had to expand." He lied, looking nervously at ahead as two jungle cats approached them.

"Don't be scared, they won't hurt you." Jack warned as Meg spotted the jungle cats. Her expression didn't change at all. Jack clicked a button on his watch and the car beeped. There was a click and another beep, telling Jack the car was locked tight.

"This isn't how I imagined it at all." Meg looked up at the surrounding mountains.

Jack chuckled nervously again. Meg didn't see the bead of sweat running down his neck, but Jack could feel it. Lying made him nervous.

"We have to follow them." Jack said as the jungle cats drew near. One of them growled and took a swipe at Jack, which his narrowly missed. Meg looked horrified and stepped away.

"It's just a little joke me and Chase have. We're good buddies." Jack boasted. It was an outright lie, but at least Jack could enjoy this lie.

"Who's Chase?" Meg asked, nervously looking at the tiger which led them to a large set of doors embedded in the rocky mountainside.

"Wait and see." Jack said, rather more quietly than he intended to. He was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable. Being evil was what Jack did, but somehow luring Meg into Chase's clutches didn't seem right at all, especially since she was so innocent. She'd never wronged him, she just wanted his help. Jack was about to grab Meg and turn around, but the tiger took another swipe for the back of his legs. Luckily, he missed again, but this only urged Jack forwards more.

One of the tigers pressed a pressure pad on the floor and the large doors creaked open.

"Are you scared?" Jack asked, looking to his side as Meg gazed at the doors.

"No." She smiled and kept looking around, as if in awe. They entered the dwelling in the mountainside and the doors closed behind them.

"No turning back now..." Jack gulped, knowing all too well the seriousness of his words.

* * *

><p>Meg looked around. She'd never seen anything like this "Temple" before. It was full of huge rooms, filled with water fountains and elegant rugs. There seemed to be an insurmountable amount of stairs, leading off in different directions. The rooms were lit with torches in canisters on the walls, which made their shadows flicker. The tigers they were following seemed to know where they were going. If Meg hadn't possessed her element, she would have found following a tiger extremely odd, but since she'd discovered what she could do, it took a lot to surprise Meg.<p>

After climbing up a large staircase, which no one found pleasant, both of them were tired. Last time Jack had been in Chase's home, a lion had dragged him up the stairs; it had made for a painful journey, but at least he wasn't tired. Jack panted and rubbed his legs, sweat ran down his face.

"I need to get in better shape." Jack wheezed, wiping his face.

"You do." Meg chuckled as she walked up the stairs with little effort. She got little exercise, yet she never seemed to be unable to play sports or games. It seemed that she was just naturally athletic. She assumed this was just another perk of having an element, but she wasn't too sure.

The tigers leading them around finally stopped when they reached the top of the stairs and walked off in different directions. Meg glanced to the end of the room, where a large chair occupied the majority of the room. There was a long, burgundy rug, which stretched from the stairs, straight down to the chair. Meg didn't notice this though; she was too busy staring at the person in the chair.

"Jack Spicer." Chase Young beckoned him forward, leaning back in his regal chair.

Jack gulped again and stepped forward. Meg stuck closely to his side, feeling slightly more vulnerable now. Chase seemed to have that effect on people naturally. Jack approached Chase and smiled.

"Hi, Chase. This is Meg." He stepped aside, leaving Meg feeling out-in-the-open.

"Hi." She said, smiling anxiously.

"Come now, Meg. Do not be afraid of me. I am here to help you." Chase said as his eyes met hers. As those strange reptile-like eyes met Meg's brown ones, Meg smiled a little, feeling more relaxed.

"Jack tells me that you need help controlling your element." Chase gestured towards Jack, who puffed his chest up proudly.

"Yes. It's out of control." Meg's fingers twitched beneath her gloves. She suddenly felt very warm.

"Would you be so kind as to show me?" Chase asked, eyeing her gloves in interest.

"Well, I can't just call it like that. It usually happens when my emotions are running high. You know, like if someone scares me or if I get really angr-" Meg's sentence was cut off, as suddenly, she felt like the top half of her body had been plunged into ice cold water, sending shivers down her spine. Then, all Meg could see, emerging from her face was a mass of purple, red, white and yellow. She screamed at the shock of the event. Sparks shot from her fingers, shooting electrical bolts up and down her arms, crackling fiercely.

"Excellent." Chase smiled, eyeing Meg.

Meg on the other hand, was not impressed.

"What the hell is that?" She asked, pointing at Wuya. She'd never seen anything like it. It was a ghostly figure with some sort of mask for a face. Quite frankly, it was ugly and smelly, but it was also quite frightening.

"Nice to meet you too." Wuya replied, sniggering at Meg's reaction. She glided over behind Chase, where Meg stared at her in shock.

"You'll get used to her." Jack said, amused at her reaction. When he had first met Wuya, his reaction had been the same. It was funny to watch someone else's. He hid his smile behind his hand.

Meg turned her attention from Wuya to Chase.

"So you think you can help me learn to control this? I'd really like to not have to wear these anymore." She waved her gloved hand at him.

Chase smiled and stood up.

"I am certain that, in time, you will learn to do as I do, thus resulting in proper control in your power. It is a rare talent you posses. There are only five of you in the whole world, as it currently stands."

Jack looked at the ground. He felt terribly guilty for ever bringing Meg here. She had no idea what she was letting herself in for. He hoped that Meg was never like Chase was.

"Five?" Meg asked curiously, "And they can control the elements, like me?"

"Yes, fire, earth, water and wind." Wuya spoke impatiently, as if she didn't have time for silly little girls.

Jack looked at Meg's curious face, and hatched a plan inside his head instantly.

"Hey, Meg, your suitcase is still in my car. Can you help me bring it in?" Jack hoped that Chase would let them go together, and then he could take Meg to the real Temple. They would surely protect her there. Jack had made a terrible mistake bringing her here.

Chase, however, seemed to catch onto Jack's intentions and laughed.

"I will have a jungle cat bring it up. You can leave if you wish now, Jack. Meg is in good hands now, as you well know."

"Yeah..." Jack nodded, feeling guilty again now that his plan had been thwarted.

"Wuya, take Meg her room so she can make herself at home. I must discuss matters with Jack." Chase said, staring directly at Jack.

"I'm not your servant." Wuya barked, but she moved anyway. Meg followed her reluctantly. As she passed Jack, she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Jack. Will I see you again?" She whispered to him. He remained rigid in her arms. He looked at Chase, who was smirking at Jack.

"Er, I expect so. Just, er, take care... okay?" Jack stammered, surprised by her actions. Meg chuckled at Jack as he turned pink and turned around to follow Wuya from the room.

As soon as she left the room, Chase put his hand on Jack's shoulder and pulled him against him, as a friend would do.

"Now listen, Spicer. We both know that you do not want her to be here, your little comment made that obvious. You brought her here, now you should be proud that you have actually done something useful for a change. Now go back to your basement and play with your toys." Chase pushed Jack away from him slightly.

"I brought her here, so I want daily conversations with her, just so I can see how she's doing. It doesn't have to be in person. Video chat is enough. You do owe me." Jack looked directly at Chase, and regretted doing so immediately. Not only was he taller than Jack, he was also much more intimidating.

"Fine." Chase grumbled, "Now go and leave us be. We have much to discuss."

Jack turned to look at the door where Meg left the room, then began making his way down the many flights of stairs to get back outside. He wondered if Chase had taken them this way up deliberately. He knew this wasn't the only way up.

When he got back into his car, he began the troubled drive home. His mind was filled with one image; a smiling man and woman, holding hands as a large group of peasants kneeled before them. They lifted their arms and a large thunder bolt shot from the sky and crashed into the cackling females' hand. The brown and black hairs of the pair whipped in the wild winds, and smirks were etched upon their intimidating faces. The peasants cowered at their feet.

"Chase and Meg are not going to rule the world together." Jack said out loud, but the ringing silence only confirmed his worries. No one knew Meg was there, apart from him, Chase and Wuya. If Chase went too far, how was he supposed to stop Chase with the element of lightning at his disposal?

"It's going to be fine. You did the right thing. Chase will teach her how to control her element. He won't force her to be evil." Jack said out loud again, but even he didn't believe the words that came out of his mouth.

After all, when had a strong-willed heart filled with good ever stopped Chase? Omi had certainly been duped into being evil, Jack didn't see why Meg's situation was any different.

"Oh god. What have I done?"

* * *

><p><strong>(Please review, )<strong>

**(The Xiaolin Monks will be turning up in my writing in the chapter after next, just so you know.)**


	5. Appearances Are Deceiving

CHAPTER FIVE: APPEARANCES ARE DECEIVING

When Jack got back to his "lair", his mind was filled with thoughts of Meg's new role. Many thoughts had crossed his mind, but each time he dismissed them with comforting words, but still his mind was filled with troubled thoughts. It bothered him most of the night. Even as he lay in bed, trying to drift off to sleep, he tossed and turned all night. He had never felt guiltier in his life. With a little training, Meg could be the most evil villain known to mankind. Beautiful and deadly; the lethal combination, but did Meg really want that? Jack knew the answer, and the response troubled him deeply. When he eventually managed to get to sleep, his dreams, or as he preferred to think of them, nightmares that were filled with the image of Meg holding Chase's hand, smirking as peasants cowered below them.

* * *

><p>"Ah, Meg, I trust you find everything satisfactory?" Chase asked as he leant against the doorway of Meg's new quarters casually. She had been provided with a small but regal room. It was basic, yet refined, not to mention there was an en suite bathroom – Meg's favourite feature. She had been given a simple but comfortable bed, a dresser and wardrobe, and a bookshelf with a few dusty looking books on it. She bounced on the bed slightly, smiling widely.<p>

"It's lovely, thank you."

"You must have a thousand questions." Chase stated, narrowing his eyes slightly. Then there was a sharp pain which flashed across her head. It was only there for a moment, just a slash of pain, but it vanished almost instantly. The corners of Chase's mouth curled.

"Yeah, I do." Meg said, frowning slightly.

"That is quite understandable. Would you like to accompany me for some tea, and you can ask me as many questions as you would like?" Chase offered.

"Okay." Meg stood up and Chase moved out of the way slightly so she could move past him. Meg fiddled with her gloves a little as she stopped to wait for Chase. He closed the door behind them, and then began walking down a long hallway with Meg keeping up with his brisk pace by his side.

"You are wondering where the others are." Chase said. The thought had been nagging in the back of Meg's mind in truth, but she had ignored it, not wanting to ask too many questions too soon after her arrival.

"Yes." She admitted, "I was also wondering what happened to Master Fung... I can remember speaking to him years ago when he tried to get me to join the Temple."

"Master Fung died almost a year ago. As his friend I took over the Temple for him. The monks that used to train here have moved on to train elsewhere. They were not able to adapt to a new master after they had served under the same one for so long." Chase turned a corner in the corridor, which Meg almost missed and continued walking.

"So they could do what I could? I'm not the only one who can control these "elements"?" Meg asked, looking at Chase's face for confirmation of his truthfulness.

"Yes, there were four of them. I believe that there may be more of you out there who have not been discovered. It is just mere luck that you found Spicer." Chase's expression changed to one filled with hate.

"You don't like Jack?" Meg looked at Chase again, who opened a nearby door for her to enter.

"I find him a nuisance, but he has his purposes." He pursed his lips. Meg could tell he wanted to say little more on the subject and changed the topic back to her original one.

"So these monks learned how to use their energy to help people?" She glanced around the room she had just entered. It was a large circular room with a small dining table in the middle. There were two cups of tea waiting for Meg and Chase, which were accompanied by sugar and milk pots on the table cloth. Meg took a seat in the smaller chair. Chase sat at the opposite side of the table, so that they were facing each other.

"But how could you use something like fire to help people?" Meg asked curiously, and then she blurted out: "Do you have an element?"

Chase almost let out a slight chuckle.

"Your curiosity is inspiring, young monk, but you have much to learn of good and evil. Helping people isn't the only way to use an element to your advantage; it is possibly one of the more useful elements in combat. For example, fighting someone who was using water against you would be bothersome, but not painful as such, fire would burn the enemy. So, it is effective in combat. As for your other question, no, I do not have an element."

"I see." Meg said, sipping her tea. Chase also took a sip from his cup, and then watched Meg for a moment. She pretended not to notice, but she found it unsettling after a while.

"Meg, I would have you begin training immediately." He said, taking a long gulp of his tea. He didn't take his eyes off her as he finished his drink. Meg did the same shortly afterwards.

"Come, we must give you suitable attire." Chase beckoned Meg to follow him.

* * *

><p>THREE WEEKS LATER<p>

Since Meg had arrived at Chase's home, things had gone from good to bad. She couldn't seem to learn to properly contain her element. Chase had arranged for a jungle cat to bear the burden of a practise dummy for Meg. She didn't like the idea, but when she objected she was scolded by Chase. He insisted that try to constrict the flow of energy into one space, then release it all properly, but for some reason, whenever she tried, she just ended up making the lighting far more powerful than she intended to. The poor jungle cat ended up getting shocked rather badly each time, whining and whimpering. When Meg expressed her discomfort with this, Chase was not pleased. Privately, Chase was sure this expression of accidental damage was an indication of the power she might have, but he was growing impatient by the lack of progress she seemed to be making. After all, he'd fed and watered the girl, yet she didn't seem to be trying properly. She insisted that she wanted to learn to control her element, but there was little that seemed to motivate her.

Meg was adapting well to the physical side of the role. In man-to-man combat she seemed to have limitless energy, which she used to smash her opponents. She'd once faced Chase in battle and lost rather badly, but Chase could tell she had excellent potential. Meg felt as though she was progressing well on this side of the training. She didn't tire except when she tried to use her element, which seemed to drain her almost instantly.

The truth was that Meg was bored. She thought that learning to control her element would be simple and flexible; done in small steps, but it seemed to be just constant pressure from Chase to progress, which made her feel uneasy. He had also grown entirely impatient with her, becoming stressful when she couldn't perform properly. Also, Chase had also thought it prudent to dress her in black robes and insist that she call him "Master Chase", to follow on with the "Master Fung is dead" story. Meg didn't like her new robes much, since even the material was new to her. It took a while for her to get used to it.

Jack also insisted that he spoke to Meg at least once a day via webcam on his computer. Meg wondered if Jack felt protective of her now since he'd brought her here. Truthfully, Meg quite liked Jack; he seemed to be a true friend to her. Whenever they spoke, he always opened with a question about her well-being or her day. She began to look forward to their daily chats, even if they were short lived – Chase found Jack's voice irritating and often cut the conversation short with another proposal of training, which Meg reluctantly agreed to.

Today was no different; Chase had sent a jungle cat to wake up Meg early in the morning. After dressing herself in her robes, she accompanied Chase at the dining table for breakfast, which was some buttery toast, and then she accompanied her new master to begin her training.

Chase had once again organised for a jungle cat to be her practise dummy. The poor lion was looking extremely annoyed at being appointed at such a task, Meg shared its' discomfort.

"Begin." Chase instructed, sitting in a seat whilst Meg removed her gloves. She cast them aside and closed her eyes, flexing her fingers. She let all her emotion swell inside her chest then in one quick burst, she released it all at the same time. A small electrical bolt shot along her arm, crackled around her elbow, then fizzled into nothing. Chase sighed.

"I'm sorry; I just can't seem to get it right." Meg apologised, but she was secretly quite thankful that she hadn't had to hurt the lion.

"Meg, I am beginning to wonder if you can do this or not. You say that you could not control your element, yet I have seen little evidence to suggest this." Chase rested his head on his hand and drawled in a bored tone.

"No! I can do this, Master Chase. I just need a little time..." But Meg wasn't sure that she needed this. For some reason, her element seemed to completely vanish since she had been at Chase's home.

"Do you?" Chase drawled again, leaning forward slightly.

"I'm sorry; I really want to be able to use this for good, rather than hurting people. I just don't understand." Meg looked at her hands, almost in tears. If Chase refused her, where else could she go?

Chase stood up rather abruptly.

"Maybe you should try and use your element for evil?" He suggested, with malice in his eyes and a nasty grin on his face. Meg's eyes widened.

"You want me to use this for evil?" She glared at him, now rather suspicious.

"Oh come on, don't you think that being evil would be a better reward for all your hard work? When you're on the side of good, those you help will thank you, but that is all you shall ever receive. Surely being evil, with a combination of Heylin Magic and your element, you could be so much more respected than the fool who saves other people." He raved, pacing slightly. He looked almost psychotic as he turned to stare at her. Meg raised her eyebrow as she finally understood.

"You're not on the side of good, are you?" She said flatly.

"No, Meg. I am not. I have watched you for three weeks now. I believe if you really set your mind to it, you could be the most powerful evil mastermind this world has ever known. You would be so much happier if you could fully express your element without hurting anyone by mistake." Chase had lowered his persuasive voice and looked into her eyes.

"Instead you'd have me hurting people on purpose? No thank you." Meg said rather sternly. She picked up her gloves and turned away from Chase. "I'm out of here. I'm never going to be on the side of evil. I want to _help _people not hurt them."

"No, you aren't." Chase moved with lightning speed and grabbed her by the arm. She looked back at him and pulled her arm away.

"Let go of me. I'm leaving." Meg turned away again and walked towards the door. There was a flash of black as Chase blocked the doorway.

"You are not leaving here, Meg." Chase held onto her arm again, too tightly. "I want you to join me. If you just let me into your mindset again, I can help you unlock your power. It will be over in a few minutes."

"Again?" Meg tried pulling her arm away again, but he was gripping too tightly. It was starting to hurt her. "No way, you're not getting inside my mind. Now let go of me, you're hurting me."

There was a sharp explosion of pain inside her head, which made her stop worrying about the pain in her arm and made her knee's go week. Meg's head felt close to exploding and she cried out in pain. It was the worst pain she had ever experienced.

"I really do not see how you can stop me, Meg." He whispered into her ear. Meg cried out again, she attempted to use all her emotion to blast out her element, but there was nothing; no rush of power, no apparent emotion. There was nothing. Her element was gone. Simply gone.

"STOP IT!" She screamed, aiming a punch upwards, which connected with Chase's arm. There was a nasty chuckle from Chase then everything went black.

* * *

><p>Jack sat at the computer for the daily chat him and Meg always had. It was almost noon and he spoke to her at this time every day, without fail. He clicked the logo on his desktop and waited for the software to load. After a few seconds, the scene of Chase's home appeared on his computer screen.<p>

"Meg?" He called, when there was no response after a few minutes. "Hello? Meg, are you there?"

"Meg is not feeling well today. She has gone to bed." Chase called from somewhere out of the camera's shot.

"Is she okay?" Jack asked, listening intently for a response.

"It is merely a stomach bug, she shall be better soon. Now I suggest you not pester her whilst she is ill. When she contacts you is when she wishes to speak to you." He said rather sternly.

Jack began to object, but there was a frustrated groan and the noise of someone slamming a button on a keypad. The conversation ended abruptly, cutting Jack off mid-sentence. He wasn't pleased at all. He wondered if he should turn up at Chase's home with some flowers or something, maybe a "get well soon" card; that seemed a nice thing to do.

_Still, if Meg is ill, she won't want bothering. I'll leave it a few days, maybe then I'll have heard something from her..._

Jack didn't know how wrong he was.


	6. Time Goes By Oh So Slowly

CHAPTER SIX: TIME GOES BY OH SO SLOWLY

TWO WEEKS LATER

Jack still hadn't heard anything from Meg or Chase and he was starting to seriously worry. He'd tried switching on the webcam on his computer, calling for a response, but there had been no response until the computer had abruptly shut off. Jack had even hacked into the webcam in Chase's, but there was no answer, just silence and the view of a dull stone wall.

He'd been awake for almost three days straight, sat by his computer, waiting, hoping, praying for something. Just to let him know that Meg was okay. He was frantic with worry. If anything had happened to Meg... all because he'd taken her there, he didn't think he'd ever be able to forgive himself. After much deliberation, he finally decided it was time to pay a visit to Chase's home.

When he arrived at Chase's home, he followed the jungle cat up the stairs again and met Chase in the large majestic room again.

"Spicer, what can I help you with this time?" Chase drawled.

"I want to see Meg." He said sternly, sounding more confident than he felt.

"She's ill." Chase said, almost too quickly.

"Then I'll give her my well wishes and be off."

"I will pass them on, you should let her rest." Chase said in his smooth tone of voice.

"I'm not leaving until I see her." Jack's chest swelled with confidence as he spoke, but he could feel his legs shaking slightly.

"Spicer, leave my home or else I shall remove you myself." Chase Young warned, glaring at Jack with a murderous expression.

"Then you'll have to remove me yourself." Jack's voice broke slightly as he spoke, showing his fear. He'd never been one for fighting. He was easily frightened and beaten in a fight, how could he possible match Chase?

"You like her, do you not?" Chase smirked as he walked towards Jack, circling him. Jack felt his cheek's go red. Chase whispered nastily into his ear, "She would not look twice at you, would she Spicer? Do you think that she cares for you, yet she has not contacted you at all? You are pathetic, Spicer. Do us all a favour and crawl under a rock." He hissed at him.

Jack felt the anger swell inside him, then without warning, his had snapped up towards Chase's face. As though Chase could know his every move, his arm seemed to shoot out instinctively and grab Jack's fist, stopping him in his tracks. He squeezed his hand tightly; painfully tight. Jack lifted his knee in a poor attempt to kick Chase, but Jack was flying backwards before he'd even managed to realised he'd been hit. He collided painfully with the wall, winding him. He lay on the floor for a moment, dazed and in pain. There was another furious snarl and something collided with Jack again.

And again...

And again...

And again...

* * *

><p>Meg was in a bad way. After her refusal, Chase seemed to have made her lose consciousness. When she woke up, she was in a dark, cold cell in the dungeons. The jungle cats prowled past every so often, snarling at her through the metal bars, occasionally taking a swipe at her. She was essentially in a small cage, probably used for animals. She was cold and alone.<p>

First, she'd tried calling out for help, but she could barely see past the bars in her cell. The darkness of the room she was in seemed to creep on upon her, making her feel claustrophobic and even more isolated. She couldn't tell if there were more cages in the room, it was too dark. The room smelled musty and old. From what she could tell, the floor was made of stone, which was old and cracked, yet the walls were metal and strong. When she tried to pull up the stones in an attempt of escape, there was no way she could pull them up. The surface of the stones may have been cracked, but something was holding them firmly down.

As much as she longed for escape, she didn't blame Jack one little bit for bringing her here. He didn't appear to know anything about what Chase was like. He'd insisted that he spoke with her every day. If someone was kind enough to check up on someone daily, surely they wouldn't put them in a place where they would be harmed knowingly?

It wasn't until she'd been in there for a few days that she realised how much she missed him. Perhaps it was just because he was company other than Chase, but Meg missed that red-headed weirdo that had brought her here.

* * *

><p>The first week, she had been brought food and water every day by Chase himself. He had asked her each time if she would reconsider. When she promptly declined his proposal, he left, each day bringing her less and less food and water and asking her the same question.<p>

She was stiff from sleeping on the stone floor. She hadn't bathed and she felt dirty. Her face was mucky and her hair was greasy. Her robes were also torn and ragged, hanging off her body. She spent most of the time leaning against the cold walls, trying to get some sleep. For most of the first week, she had cried, screaming and using all her efforts to escape. Every time she tried to use her element, it simply wouldn't come.

It had been too long since she'd eaten enough food. Yesterday, Chase had brought her a half a slice of bread and half a cup of water to last all day. She was considerably weakened, not to mention desensitised, she'd been in the dark for almost two weeks.

Today was no different, there was a slam of a door opening and the room was filled with blinding light, which made Meg squint and the brightness of it hurt her eyes. Meg was leant against the wall with her head on her knees. She raised her head as the door closed again, slamming shut. Her breath was much more ragged now, and her ribs were starting to protrude from her chest.

Chase carried a small wooden plate and a wooden cup as he approached the cell. He knelt down as he approached the bars.

"Too tired to attack me today?" He asked cheerfully as he opened a small hatch, which was locked with a padlock and unlocked by a small key that Chase always carried with him on his belt. He pushed the plate and cup inside the cell. There was a less than a quarter of a slice of bread and a tiny amount of water in a cup. Meg picked up the food and water, forcing it down her throat like an animal. It was over all too quickly for Meg. Eating the tiny amount of food only took her a few seconds.

"You know I what I will ask of you Meg." He said quietly. He snapped his fingers and tiger walked up to the cell with a basket in its mouth, which was filled to the brim with food, glorious food. Meg could smell it from her cell – food had never smelled so mouth-wateringly delicious to her. She held her breath and began breathing through her mouth to stop herself being tempted. "You just have to say yes, and then you can posses whatever you desire. We both know you cannot keep this up forever. You know I come here every day to ask you."

"Then you'll know my response..." She whispered to him, barely able to raise her voice above that.

"You know, Jack has been asking about you..." Chase said softly, leaning towards the bars in a taunting manner. "He is becoming quite concerned."

"Then why don't you let me go, you bastard?" Meg snarled, but then groaned as her stomach lurched. She pulled her knees tightly to her chest.

"There is no need to use that language." Chase looked upon her. As cold as his heart appeared to be, he did feel pity for her, but utilizing her ability was far more important to him than her life.

"I can make an exception for your case." She hissed, but her voice had lost some of its fierceness.

"You are very stubborn." He stated, picking up the basket of food, which was making Meg's stomach hurt, she wanted it so badly.

"Damn right I am, I'll stay here and die before I go out a hurt lots of people with this goddamn thing."

"I do not believe you fully understand me Meg. I do not plan to kill you." Chase said quietly, opening the hatch again and pushing the food through.

"Then what am I doing here?" She asked as she raided the basket, eating the food ravenously and tipping the bottle of water down her neck faster than she could swallow.

"I had hoped that the lack of food and water would persuade you, but apparently it has not. Therefore, I shall resort to more physical means of motivating you."

"Physical means?" Meg wolfed down the sandwiches in the basket; food had never tasted so delicious.

Chase's smile widened to a nasty grin. He looked to the left in the darkness, which he apparently didn't need light to see in and snapped "Bring her."

* * *

><p>Without warning, a large, muscular warrior in golden armour burst into her cell. She had no idea where he had come from, but he was positively frightening. He growled fiercely as he grabbed her by the arm and began to drag her. Meg was still weak, but the sudden amount of food had left her a teeny bit stronger, but it was also making her feel tired. She was usually quite physically fit, but when she tried to resist the tug of the warrior, exhaustion overtook her and she found herself complying without resistance. Chase followed behind them, smiling and looking rather pleased with himself.<p>

The warrior half carried, half dragged her through various corridors and hallways until they reached another circular room. In the middle of the room were two large wooden poles, spaced apart from each other. The walls were lit by flaming torches and lined with shelves and cases of knives, whips, saws and other painful looking devices. The warrior dragged her over to the poles and began tying her to them. He tied her hands apart and then her legs, leaving her in an X shape in between the two wooden poles. Chase observed this then walked over to one of the shelves. He hummed lightly as his back was turned.

"You know, Meg. I had hoped it would not come to this."

Meg's head was lolling. She was barely able to stay awake. "Come to what?" She asked sleepily. It was amazing how much having a full stomach could make her feel so sleepy.

"Take this." Chase handed a large whip to the intimidating warrior, who took it with a small grunt. "Begin." He instructed and stood facing Meg, watching with a malicious expression.

The warrior moved behind her. Meg lifted her head; tiredness was but a tiny detail to her now. She felt tears brimming to her eyes as she waited. She knew it was going to happen.

Then it did.

The whip cracked into her back mercilessly. She screamed out, shocked by the sharp stinging pain of it against her back. The whip had hit her clothes, but she could tell it had left a large rip in her robes. If the warrior were to strike in the same place again, she had no doubt that it would be the most terrible pain. The tears over spilled from her eyes.

Chase let out a harsh laugh.

"I think I shall find this method more suiting. Do you still think you can refuse me?"

Meg ignored him, biting her lip. She was trembling, making her wobble between her bindings.

There was another whoosh of movement and the whip carved into her back again. She screamed again as the whip cut into her skin. The pain seemed to explode across her back, leaving her unable to do anything but sob uncontrollably.

"Please..." She whispered in between sobs, her eyes were fixed on the floor as tears ran down her face, dripping from her chin onto the stone floor. Chase walked towards her and ducked slightly so that his cruel expression was in her line of vision. She looked away from him instinctively, but he grabbed her chin roughly and forced her eyes to his.

"Do you submit yourself to evil?" He asked in a mocking tone, still smirking.

Sniffing, Meg shook her head. "I... I can't..."

The screams continued for hours.

* * *

><p>"I don't see why we couldn't just leave him there." A strong voice said in an annoyed tone. "We don't owe him anything; look at all the things he's done to us. I don't see why we should have to save his butt."<p>

"I know, Rai. But we're Xiaolin Dragons; it's our duty to help the weak." A female voice said.

"Kimiko is right, Raimundo. Jack Spicer is much weaker than us and Master Fung says we must help him." Another, higher pitched voice spoke, but it was male and much more formal.

"Plus, I wanna know what in tarnation happened to him." A Texan accented voice said loudly.

"Guys, I think he's coming round." The girl spoke again.

This was true, Jack Spicer was stirring. He groaned as every inch of his body seemed to ache and sting. He opened his eyes to see the faces of four of his enemies standing over him. He would have screamed if he could muster up the energy. His body seemed to weight tons.

"Where's Meg?" He asked groggily and dazed, his eyes wheeling around wildly, searching for once face in particular.

"Meg?" The four Xiaolin monks asked in unison, looking at each other with confused expressions.

Jack forced his body upright and groaned.

"How did I get here?" Jack looked around and saw that he was inside the Xiaolin Temple, with four of his enemies in the same room, namely Raimundo, Kimiko, Omi and Clay.

"Easy partner." Clay said as Jack winced from movement. "Yer' in a bad way."

"That doesn't matter right now." Jack panicked, "Just tell me how long I've been here and how I got here."

"Jeez Jack. We save your butt and this is your way of saying thanks?" Raimundo grumbled. Jack rubbed his aching chest.

"You guys saved me?" Jack asked, looking around at each of their faces in turn. He found it rather odd actually, when he'd seen Kimiko in past times, she had sent his damn hormones off like crazy, but now he found he felt little attraction for her whatsoever. He wondered if since Raimundo and Kimiko had become an item, he'd lost his interest slightly. He wondered if he'd never met Meg if he would still find her attractive.

"Yes, we have Dojo search the skies sometimes and keep an eye on Chase's place when things get too quiet. We happened to find you outside by chance. It's lucky we found you actually, you must have been there for a few hours at least." Kimiko said, bringing Jack a cup of water from a bowl on a table in the corner of the room, which he took gratefully and sipped.

"I'll kill him." Jack growled, attempting to stand up, but wincing as his rib twanged painfully.

"Easy." Clay pulled him gently back onto the chair he was lying on. "As much as we don't want you here, you gotta get some rest. Yer' in pretty bad shape."

"How bad is it?" Jack asked, touching his face. There were little shocks of pain wherever he touched. He only assumed he was quite bruised, but when he came to think of it, his eye felt a little swollen. It was also hurting him to breath, which was increasing by the minute.

"Master Fung believes you to have a cracked rib, but that is all the serious damage. You are only bruised to the point of disfigurement otherwise." Omi said with a wide grin as if he were delivering good news to someone. Jack always found Omi's limitless positivity annoying.

"Thank you guys, but I have to go." Jack sat up again and forced himself to his feet using the chair for support. He took a shaky step forward and then winced. Every tiny movement seemed to hurt him.

"Jack, dude, why are you so anxious to get out of here? We know you don't want to wake up in the enemy's place, but we aren't going to hurt you, so what's the big rush?" Raimundo spoke the question that was clearly on everyone's mind. Kimiko, Omi, Raimundo and Clay all stared at him in fascination. All of them had never seen Jack so determined, or strong-willed. They were used to seeing the pale coward that screamed at the sight of his nine year old cousin.

"I've made a terrible mistake that involves Chase. That's why this happened, but I have to go back and fix it." Jack looked away guiltily. How long had it been since there had been nothing from Meg? How long had it been since he'd been brought here? Was she hurt? What had happened to her? What if she was dead?

Jack had to swallow to stop himself getting emotional.

"Jack, sit down and tell us what's going on." Kimiko moved towards him, flicking her slick black hair out of her eyes, and putting his arm around her. She half carried him back to the chair and sat him down.

Jack sighed, and then began telling the story of how Meg had contacted him and he had promised to take her to Chase. The Xiaolin Dragons were excellent listeners, but by the time Jack had finished, they were mortified.

"You took that poor girl into Chase Young's arms, then panicked when you heard nothing from her?" Kimiko was a shade of deep red. "For all we know, you could have just made another enemy for us… How do we know you can trust you Jack?"

"I wouldn't lie to you, not when I need your help." Jack turned his eyes towards each of them pleadingly.

"Let me get this straight," Raimundo asked, leaning against the doorframe casually, "You want us to go to Chase's home, search for a girl, who might not even need rescuing, then bring her out of there, just so you can feel better?"

Jack stood up abruptly then clutched his rib with a gasp as it twanged again.

"If you won't help me, I'll go myself." He growled, pointing his finger at a shocked Raimundo. "I thought you were supposed to help the weak? I'm obviously weaker than you and I'm in need of help, alright? It will be a piece of cake if you use the Shen Gong Wu to get in there. She was looking for you guys, and I took her there. I can't fix this by myself and you know I wouldn't ask unless I was desperate. Chase has turned from an honourable man into a raving psychopath. He did this to me because I went to his home and asked to see Meg. That's not honourable. But if you don't want to help, fine." He began hobbling towards the doorway, but Kimiko stopped him.

"Fine, we'll help you." She shot a stern look at Raimundo, who reluctantly nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p><strong>(Review!)<strong>


	7. A Bloody Mess

CHAPTER SEVEN: A BLOODY MESS

Meg was thrown unceremoniously on the cold floor, which seemed to hurt her a lot less than it previously would have done. The warrior grunted and slammed the cell door behind her, locking it shut with the thick padlock. She managed to lift her head in time to see him disappear from her line of view.

She was still crying; each racking sob seemed to cause her body more pain and suffering. The whip had carved through the flesh of her back, leaving her soaked in her own blood. Each tiny movement seemed to sting her back without reason. She had tried lifting her hand behind her to feel the damage, but all she could feel was the wetness of her own blood when she tried. She managed to force herself to the wall and lean against it, being extra cautious to position herself so that she didn't lean upon an open whip mark. She pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed freely to herself.

_I can't endure this. I'm not strong enough. If I have to deal with that again tomorrow, I'm going to cave. I'm not even of any use to him. I'll never get my element to work properly._

She trembled at the thought of enduring twice the pain she felt now. The thought made her feel nauseous.

Wiping her eyes, she pushed all her hate, pain and longing out from her body in an attempt to bring forth her element. A small crackle of electricity shot up her arm, curling itself around her forearm. Meg stared at it. It had never stayed in one place for so long. It was crackling and fizzing along her arm, striking off occasionally. She lost focus when she sniffed to stop herself crying. This was reason to smile enough. Perhaps she could use this against the warrior when he came tomorrow. It was her only hope now.

* * *

><p>When the warrior came in the morning, he woke her from a troubled sleep. When she'd finally realised who he was, he had already dragged her out of the cell. She tried producing her element, but there was nothing – not even a crackle.<p>

She was sobbing before she had even left the dungeon.

* * *

><p>Another scream burst from her lips as the whip broke through a sore wound from yesterday.<p>

"Do you give in yet?" Chase asked in an amused tone. He clearly was surprised at her strong will and stubbornness.

"No..." Meg managed to pant through her ragged breaths. The back of her robes were in tatters and the blood was dripping freely from her back now, leaving a small but noticeable puddle on the floor. A bead of sweat ran down her face.

"Again." Chase commanded, and the warrior lifted his whip.

The screams echoed through Chase Young's home continuously.

* * *

><p>When Meg stirred again, she was lying on something hard in something wet. She opened her sore eyes and groaned. She realised with a pang of nausea that she most have lost consciousness in her session with Chase and the whipping warrior. A small wave of achievement washed over her for making it through another day, but it was soon over when her back began stinging painfully. She pushed her aching body upright so see that she had been lying in a small pool of her own blood. Some water had been left for her to drink, which she hastily drank, all but a small amount, which she tipped down her back in an attempt to clean the wounds.<p>

Meg pushed herself up against the wall again and rested her head on her knees.

It was all too much to bear.

She began sobbing loudly again, wishing for her misery, pain and suffering to end.

But a voice rang out from the darkness.

"Are you Meg?"

Meg lifted her head in an attempt to see who had spoken, but there was no one there. She put the strange voice down to her lack of sleep and rested her head on her knees again.

"Are you Meg?" The male voice repeated.

"Yes..." She whispered back, feeling rather frightened of the faceless voice.

"I'm here to help you."

Meg looked around. "Who are you?"

"I'll explain later. Where does Chase keep the key for the cage?" The voice asked. It had some kind of accent, but Meg couldn't quite identify it.

"It's a small silver one on his belt." She whispered, feeling a slight twinge of hope burning inside her. Who was this strange source of help?

"I'll be right back. Sands of Time!" The voice called, then but a second later it said. "I'm back. Hang on. Shroud of Shadows!" Then the figure finally revealed itself, appearing just outside the door. To Meg's surprise, it was a tanned boy, aged around seventeen. He had brown hair, which was spiked in a stylish fashion and brown eyes, as well as chiselled features and rather large eyebrows. He was also rather muscular.

He glanced at Meg pitifully and shook his head. In his arms, the boy held two rather strange looking objects and a tiny silver key. He stuffed the key inside the lock and it clicked open, causing the door to swing open.

"Can you walk?" He asked, stepping into the cage.

"I don't think so..." Meg admitted, trying to force herself onto her shaky legs. She used the wall to push herself up onto her feet. Just then, there was a snarl as a tiger, which seemingly appeared from thin air, launched itself into the cage, pouncing on the boy. He was knocked cleanly off his feet, and the strange looking objects in his hands tumbled onto the floor noisily. The cage shook as they both fell. There was a cry of "Wind!" and the tiger flew backwards out of the cage and into something in the darkness. Then all was silent.

"You..." Meg gasped as she leant against the wall, "You're a Xiaolin Dragon aren't you?"

"Yes. Now quickly, we don't have much time until Chase Young knows I'm here." Raimundo picked up the strange silvery material object and picked up the bulky looking metal object. He held onto Meg and lifted the metal object.

"Sands of Time!" He called. The object started glowing, and then he seemed to relax. He approached Meg cautiously.

"I'm going to have to lift you, are you cool with that?" He asked, lifting her arm and putting it around his shoulder. She winced slightly and nodded.

"Ready?" He asked, bending down to lift up her legs.

"Yeah." She closed her eyes and whimpered as he lifted her into his arms.

"It's alright." He said softly as he began making his way out of the dungeon with the fragile girl in his arms. "I've got you, you're safe now."

Meg sighed in relief and finally relaxed.

"Who are you?" She asked quietly, feeling exhaustion creep over her as Raimundo carried her though Chase's silent home.

"Raimundo." He said, looking down the long set of stairs which he had to carry her. His arms were beginning to ache already.

* * *

><p>When Raimundo finally reached the outside of Chase's home. Dojo – who was frozen in time, was frozen look extremely nervous as he waited for Raimundo's return. Meg had fallen asleep, which made carrying her easier, since Raimundo didn't have to be as delicate with her so as to avoid hurting her. He lifted her body onto Dojo's back. He noted that she was still bleeding rather heavily from her back. He knew enough about wounds to know that the one's she'd obtained would still be rather painful for her. His white hoodie was now blood-stained, which he was not pleased about. He whispered, "Sands of Time" as he held the Shen Gong Wu. It shone and Dojo was moving at a regular pace again.<p>

"Dojo," Raimundo whispered and the dragon turned towards him sharply, causing Meg to slip from his back. Raimundo moved quickly to catch her as she fell from his scaly hide. She whimpered in pain as he caught her.

"Dude, we gotta get outta' here." He whispered, climbing onto his back and dragging the sleeping girl with him. He put the Shen Gong Wu inside the pocket of his hoodie and lay Meg against him. Her eyes were still swollen from where she had been crying.

"You got her then?" Dojo said quietly as he took off from the ground, flying in the direction of the Temple.

"Yeah." Raimundo said, looking pitifully at the girl in his lap, "She's in pretty bad shape. Worse than Jack, but at least he deserves it."

"How bad is it? Do I have to start getting out that ointment I use for when my scales get sore?" Dojo asked, looking over his shoulder as he flew over a forest.

"I think you will, dude. She's still bleeding."

"Don't get any blood on my scales. I can't reach to scrub there." Dojo warned.

Raimundo was silent for a while, and then he whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry this happened to you. You didn't deserve this, but Jack Spicer and Chase will pay for it."

* * *

><p>Kimiko, Omi, Jack and Clay were sat at the Temple. Jack was chewing his fingernails nervously. Kimiko was gazing out of the window, searching the skies for the safe return of her boyfriend. Omi was meditating of his usual, but slightly unorthodox position of upside down; balancing on his head, whereas Clay was playing with his rope, practising throwing his lasso and pulling it back.<p>

"They're back!" Kimiko shouted as she saw a green flash in the sky.

"Is Meg with them?" Jack asked, sitting upright too quickly and causing his rib to twang again. He gasped and clutched at it, swearing loudly.

"I think so." Clay said as he glanced out of the window when Kimiko ran out of the room to greet Raimundo.

"CLAY!" Kimiko shouted for assistance, and the cowboy went rushing outside.

Raimundo slid down from Dojo, who transformed into his smaller size instantly. In his arms, he held a sleeping girl, whose back was still oozing blood.

"Oh my god..." Kimiko gasped, tearing up as she looked upon the pitiful sight. Raimundo passed Meg onto Clay, who took her gently into his arms. He and Dojo took Meg back into the Temple.

Kimiko stayed outside for a moment with Raimundo and pulled him into a hug. "Thank God you saved her. She's in terrible condition."

"I know. Seeing her like that made me realise how dangerous Chase is. If anything ever happens and we have to fight him, I don't want you to fight. I don't ever want to have to go save you if you end up like that." Raimundo kissed her lightly, resting his forehead against hers.

"You know me; I'm too stubborn to listen to a word you say." Kimiko chuckled slightly, wiping her teary eyes.

Raimundo smiled, but his heart was deeply saddened by what he had happened to Meg.

* * *

><p>"Oh fuck, no!" Jack cried as Clay brought in Meg. He forced his body upright all too quickly and rushed over to her, ignoring the stabbing pains which pierced him all over his body.<p>

"Oh God... What did that bastard do to you?" His voice broke as he spoke and Jack was trembling violently all over.

Clay lay her gently down on the sofa and turned her gently onto her front. Jack collapsed into the chair in the corner of the room and put his head in his hands.

Clay cringed, he'd never been good with blood, but the sheer volume of it protruding from her made him feel nauseous.

"Rai... Kim?" Clay called, backing away from Meg.

Raimundo and Kimiko entered the room, holding hands.

"I can't..." Clay said, leaving the room, looking rather pale. Omi was staring at Meg closely, but he said nothing.

Raimundo moved towards Meg and ripped apart what was left of her tattered robes, which hung loosely against her bloody back.

"Kimiko, would you bring me a cloth and some water, please?" Raimundo said quietly.

"Sure, Omi will you fill the bowl up for me?" She asked, grateful of the chance to leave the room, but sensing that Raimundo was angry, which is why she asked for Omi's assistance. Omi also left the room.

All was silent for a moment, until Raimundo suddenly burst with anger.

"Don't sit there feeling sorry for yourself, Spicer. Take a good look at her. This is a product of you! This is your entire fault! If you'd done the decent thing and brought her here, none of this would have happened! But I suppose she was just another chance to get in cosy with Chase right? Did her life actually mean anything to you? It says a lot about you, you coward." Raimundo spat, turning his back on Jack.

"You don't have to tell me this. I already know." Jack said quietly.

"No you don't, you don't give a shit about her." Raimundo spat again. "Why don't you look at her if you care so much?"

"I've seen it." Jack said.

"No, you take a good look at that. I hope it hurts Jack, and I hope she lives, because there's a good chance that she could be seriously hurt. Hell, she might not even pull out of it. If she lives, I hope she gives you everything you deserve. She completely trusted you to do the right thing, and you betrayed her and now she's like this. Some friend you are. We felt bad for you when you turned up in this state, but now, I'm thinking you deserve it."

"You think I don't know that?" Spicer said, suddenly standing up. Raimundo was quite surprised to see that his eyes were swollen, almost as if he'd been crying. "You think I don't care that this was all fault? I _know _I deserve what I got, which is why I asked for your help! Why should I go the rescue when it's my fault she was there? And yes, I hope she gives me what I deserve, because it'll never be enough. Now don't you tell me what I do and don't feel! I've been worried sick about her ever since I took her there, then when I tried to get her back, I got this." He yelled, pointing at his deeply bruised face.

"Um, guys..." Kimiko said timidly, carrying a bowl of water whilst Omi carried some cloths and bandages. He also carried a fresh pair of robes for her.

The two turned to face Kimiko, who entered the room and lay the bowl down next to Meg on the table, and Jack sat back down. He didn't say another word.

Raimundo dipped the cloth in the water and began cleaning Meg's back. She whimpered as the water began to wash the blood away.

Each time she whimpered from the pain, Jack felt as though he could feel it too.

* * *

><p><strong>(Review!) <strong>


	8. Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

CHAPTER EIGHT: DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES

Meg could hear voices as she stirred from her deep sleep.

"At least he deserved it..." She heard Raimundo say sharply, and a sharp sigh followed.

"You don't have to keep saying that. I already know." Meg heard Jack say, and then suddenly she was trying to push her heavy lids open. Every limb in her body was aching and her mouth was so parched, she could barely move her tongue, which felt shriveled and old in her numb mouth.

She tried to make some noise to indicate that she was awake, but she couldn't make any noise from her sore throat. She twitched her fingers slightly, but no one seemed to notice.

She fell back to sleep, but her dreams were filled with the sound of whips cracking, as she was locked in a cold, dark room, then the harsh sound of cruel laughter ringing through the darkness.

* * *

><p>Raimundo rested his head on his hand, staring at the sleeping girl. It was getting late now; almost midnight. Meg had been asleep since Raimundo had brought her back from Chase's dungeons. She seemed to stir occasionally, but she hadn't woken up yet.<p>

He cast a filthy glance to the corner of the room, where Jack sat, holding his head in his hands. He'd been sat in the armchair for a few hours. In fact, he'd barely left her side. He hadn't changed his position for a while now, and Raimundo wondered if he'd fallen asleep. He felt his own eyes gently closing.

Kimiko was almost asleep as she rested her head on Raimundo's shoulder. He stroked her face softly and kissed the top of her head, but his eyes were elsewhere. His eyes were staring with a slight infatuation with the snoozing girl. Her undeniable beauty dazzled Raimundo; just as it had done to Jack. His lust for her was mixed with her sympathy for her injuries and the loyalty for his girlfriend, Kimiko. He had no doubt that he loved Kimiko and he didn't want to hurt her, but he was afraid of how strong his will was. He already felt protective, perhaps overly, of Meg, and he was afraid that Meg would become the object of his affections if he wasn't careful enough.

It's just because I feel bad for her. She didn't deserve what happened and I'm sure Spicer'll pay for it when she comes round.

Every time he forced his eyes away from her face, they seemed to wander back.

Raimundo sighed and gently lifted Kimiko in his arms. She was snoring lightly, and Raimundo took a moment to look at her face. She was just as beautiful as Meg, maybe even more. He bent his head and kissed her cheek, and then left the room with Kimiko in his arms, carrying her to her bed.

When Raimundo returned from taking Kimiko away, he peeked around the door to check on Meg again. She was still sound asleep, but Jack had moved. He was resting his head against the sofa she was laying on, holding her hand. Jack didn't notice Raimundo's presence and sighed. He whispered something that Raimundo couldn't distinguish. Raimundo scoffed to himself, and his expression changed to one filled with hatred.

Raimundo could barely keep his eyes open. Reluctantly, he left Jack to it and went to bed. The smarmy coward had to fall asleep sooner or later.

* * *

><p>"No..." Meg croaked in a rasping voice, waking herself up. Her eyes shot open. When she first opened her eyes, she didn't know where she was, and it made her panic. With a slight pang of hunger, her brain started to remember that Raimundo had saved her, making her think that she must be in the place where they trained.<p>

As she used her little strength to push herself up, her back began stinging almost instantly. She grasped and instinctively felt her back, but to her surprise; there were a thick bandage there. She was also dressed in different robes, which were red and black. Meg wondered who had changed her and felt slightly embarrassed. Whoever had changed her would have seen everything. The bandage ran up the course of her chest, covering her completely. The bandage aided movement a bit, but it made her feel rather padded and thick, which made movements feel strange to her.

Meg glanced around the room for the first time to see that she was in some sort of building. There was a small wooden window, which made moonlight pour into the room, which was the only thing lighting the room, besides a small lantern, which rested on the table next to the sofa she had been lying on. She looked around for the source of the voices she had heard earlier.

Her heart swelled, then her eyes filled with tears. Sat in the corner of the room in a red armchair, was a severely bruised Jack Spicer. The way the moon illuminated his face made his eyes appear to be a deep shade of purple and there were clear hand-shaped bruises on his neck. His face was swollen and both eyes were puffy looking. He was snoring quietly, wheezing as he breathed out.

Meg wondered what on earth had happened to him, and longed to reach out and hug him, but stopped herself when she realized he was snoring. Meg cared enough to let him sleep; she only hoped that the sleep would help him heal faster. She also hoped that he wasn't in any pain.

Meg bit her lip, and then spotted a glass bowl of water next to Jack's chair on a small end table. She lifted her heavy legs onto the floor and put her bare feet on the floor. What struck her immediately was that her feet landed on something soft. When she looked, she saw her black, tattered robes on the floor. They were shredded cleanly in half, and they were soaked in blood.

Meg swallowed guiltily. These people must have really taken care of her. With a silent gasp, she forced herself upright, cringing as her back stung painfully. She thrust her hand over her mouth to stop herself making any noise. The last thing she wanted to do was wake up Jack; he looked half dead. She wondered what had happened to him, but that could wait. Now he needed rest.

* * *

><p>After a while, Meg finally forced herself to the water bowl and took several long gulps of water, after which she felt much better. Jack was still snoring softly in the chair. Meg stared at him whilst she drank her water, then she hobbled out of the room; looking for some indication of where she was whilst she had the energy.<p>

It took her a long time to get anywhere. Every single movement seemed to recreate the strokes of the whips against her back. She walked out of the doorway to an open stone courtyard with a central fountain, which reflected the stars in the sky amongst the ripples in the water. Panting from the amount of moving she'd done in her condition, Meg rested herself on the rim of the fountain. Subconsciously, she reached out and touched the water, making patterns with her fingers.

It wasn't until she looked up at the sky again some time later when she realized she must have been there for a while. She heard some birds singing in the distance and the sun was starting to protrude from behind the mountains surrounding the Temple.

Meg fully understood where she was now and as she looked upon the majestic building; she finally felt safe.

At that moment, as the feeling of safety finally wrapped itself around her a sharp pain seared across her forehead. Then a harsh voice hissed inside her mind, as her head threatened to explode from pain.

"You may have escaped from my home, but you cannot escape from me, Meg..."

She fell from the side of the fountain and onto the floor, clutching her head in agony.

"Stop it..." She yelled, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to block out the pain.

"You can run, but you cannot hide your mind from me..." His voice echoed inside her head again and she screamed in pain as another flash of agony seared across her head.

* * *

><p>Jack Spicer awoke with a start. He had heard a piercing scream. Almost at once he realized that Meg was gone and ran outside, calling her name.<p>

"Meg, where are you?" He shouted, running outside into the courtyard. His eyes popped in their swollen sockets when he saw Meg, writhing on the floor, clutching her head. Her expression said it all - she was in the most excruciating pain.

"Stop... Please!" She screamed at seemingly nothing. Jack rushed to her and grabbed her by the arm, but she screamed and he let her go instantly, not wanting to hurt her any more.

"Meg, please, what's wrong with you?" He pleaded urgently. His heart was thudding in his ears with desperation as he watched her helplessly.

Suddenly, her eyes grew wide and she lay very still.

The voice inside Meg's head had stopped, leaving her mind completely black and empty. She stared whilst she adjusted, which is when she spotted Jack, who grabbed her shoulders and lifted her to eye level.

"Meg, please talk to me. Are you alright?" He asked, looking at her with concern in his eyes.

She slid her eyes so that they met his slowly. Joy burst from her chest and suddenly her wounds meant nothing. She flung herself into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder, tears were flowing freely from her eyes.

"Jack..." She gasped, clutching onto him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder. While she was upset over her ordeal, she felt safe again.

He put his arms around her and hugged her closely. His heart swelled as she leant against him. Everything was all right now.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Raimundo shouted from somewhere behind them, making both Jack and Meg look around. Raimundo was standing in the doorway of the temple, glaring at Jack accusingly.

"What have you done to her?" He pointed at Meg, stomping towards her with his finger pointed at Jack.

"I did nothing!" Jack said immediately, surprised at Raimundo's accusation, clutching Meg tightly as Raimundo moved to grab her.

"No, it wasn't him..." Meg managed to say in between her sobs, which Raimundo didn't seem to hear. She tried to speak again, but her throat made a simple rasping noise, so then she sniveled and tried to stop herself crying. A wave of exhaustion swept over her instantly and she could barely hold open her eyes. She mumbled for the two to stop bickering, but she could hardly hold up her head.

Raimundo took Meg's hand and tried to pull her upright, but Jack clung on tightly.

"Dude... Let go now..." Raimundo snarled, pulling Meg off him. She panicked and cried out as Raimundo started pulling her away from Jack, the force of her back stretching made it sting painfully.

"You're hurting her, you idiot! Let go!" Jack hissed back, trying to pull her closely as she flopped in his arms. When Jack still didn't let go of the drowsy girl, Raimundo snapped his fist towards Jack's face, which collided painfully with his jaw.

Groaning in pain, Jack let go of Meg and cradled his jaw, glaring at Raimundo with hatred. He supported Meg and lifted her to her feet. She flopped uselessly. It was all over as Meg's eyes finally slid shut and she drifted away.

"I am not an idiot, Spicer. I don't know what the hell you did to her, but all I know is I heard screaming - which tells me she was in a lot of pain. I don't care if she wants to speak to you or not, you aren't going to speak to her until I know her side of the story." Raimundo turned his back on Jack as he rubbed his jaw, and carried Meg through the doorway to rest her upon the chair again.

* * *

><p>Chase slammed his fist down onto the table.<p>

"Those darn monks, how _dare _they take the fifth dragon away from me... Her element would be perfect for my world take-over plan. I must get her back... but how?"

Wuya glided behind him, swirling around his head.

"I don't see why you need one of those brats to conquer the world. They have no true power compared to you." She hissed into his ear alluringly.

"I know this, yet I cannot fight the war against the four dragons by myself, yet there is no other whom will help." With a sigh, Chase rested his arms against the corners of the table and dropped his head.

"These desperate times call for desperate measures. If I have to utilize another's power to emphasize my own... so be it."

"How could you use her if she refuses to co-operate? You tried a few days of torture, yet she seems unaffected by your will?" Wuya stopped swirling around him and hovered in front of him.

"There is a way..." Chase looked at the floating figure, "There is an ancient ritual which I read about many years ago. By performing this ritual, you essentially drain the power, and life, I might add, from one person and can then transfer this power and energy into the one performing the ritual."

"So you would steal Meg's element, then transfer it to you, but she would die in the process?" Wuya asked curiously. She had never seen Chase so determined,

"Yes... It is a worst case scenario, if she agrees to co-operate, it may not come to it, however if it did come to it, I would take her life in exchange for her element." Chase glared ahead, as he mentally swore an oath to get what he deserved - ultimate power.

A nasty grin cracked across his cold face.


	9. The Pain of Betrayal

CHAPTER NINE: THE PAIN OF BETRAYAL

Meg was fast asleep (as she had been for the last eleven hours) and snoring softly on one of the sofas in the Temple, where Raimundo had laid her. He had asked Master Fung why Meg was sleeping so much, to which he replied that it was normal; any person who had been through the physical and emotional trauma the way Meg had would react in the same way. He assured a worried Raimundo that it was just the way that her body and mind would repair itself.

Raimundo felt very protective of Meg, but he could not explain why. He told himself that it was just because he had rescued her from Chase's clutches that he felt responsible for her safety. He had been neglecting Kimiko since Meg had arrived. He and Kimiko had barely spent any time together, but she had not complained once. Truthfully, the thought of Raimundo spending so much time with another girl, and a beautiful one at that, would have infuriated her usually, but since Meg was in such a state, Kimiko did not seem to mind.

Raimundo had insisted fiercely that Jack should not be let anywhere near Meg, or the others. Jack had protested, wanting to monitor Meg's process, but Raimundo and the monks had won; poor Jack was unable to explain why Meg was screaming, and the monks only assumed he was guilty, but still, they had no proof. Jack was forced to wait outside the room, and was not allowed inside; one monk guarded the door at all times, which prevented Jack persistent attempts to get inside. Jack waited outside bitterly.

He silently swore an oath; that he would make Chase pay for what he had done to Meg, no matter what it cost him.

* * *

><p>Kimiko sighed as Raimundo stared out of the window in the quietest part of the Temple. This part of the Temple was wear the Masters of the Temple chose to meditate; the only noise was the sound of their breathing. Raimundo didn't notice her sigh; he didn't even seem to notice her presence. He had been behaving strangely since Meg had arrived. Kimiko scrutinised his face; something was bothering him. Raimundo was only quiet when he was upset or guilty. She supposed that he was feeling Meg's pain. After all, he was the one who had infiltrated Chase's home and pulled her out of there.<p>

_It's just left him feeling a bit traumatised, _Kimiko told herself.

In an attempt to cheer him up, she pulled out a small piece of candy from the inside of her robes. Her father often sent her candy as a gift when the new technology was being developed to tide her over until he could send her it; he loved to spoil his daughter. She twisted the wrapper noisily in her hands, attempting to catch his attention. He didn't move a muscle.

"That's does it." Kimiko stood up and walked to him slowly. She wrapped her little arms around his body and looked up at him. "What the hell is wrong with you Raimundo? You've been so distant since Meg got here; it doesn't even feel like we're in a relationship. I know you've been worried about Meg, but you needn't be now. Someone's watching her all the time so Spicer can't touch her again, and Chase sure as hell isn't coming here."

Raimundo looked at the small Japanese girl hugging him and smiled slightly. His mind was definitely troubled, yet despite his efforts to conceal this, Kimiko knew him too well to be fooled by his pretence. His brown eyes poured into her blues ones, and he let out another sigh.

"I just feel uneasy, I mean, Spicer was there and I heard her screaming. I don't know if he is trustworthy or not. I think he's bad news, and he has been from day one. Do you think maybe he's still working with Chase? Maybe he's spying, waiting until the coast is clear so he can let Chase back-" He rambled, getting it all off his chest, but he was cut off by a loud, feminine scream; one that they had heard before.

"What the hell is that?" Kimiko asked with concern as Raimundo pulled her out of the room. They both knew exactly where they were heading; the other side of the Temple where Meg was resting, although from the sound of it, she wasn't resting anymore. Hand-in-hand, they sped across the courtyard, barely realising it was pouring with rain and how late it was. Rain splattered on their heads and shoulders, yet they both froze when they reached the doorway.

There was a loud grunt of effort and a blur of red, white and black as a figure flew past them. There was a crash and a bang, then a whimper. Omi was stood, still guarding Meg's room with his fist outstretched.

Raimundo sped past the tiny monk and into Meg's room to investigate, as Kimiko looked at the figure.

"Omi?" She couldn't help but laugh with shock as she looked back again at the crumpled heap in the corner, who was lying in the mist of the broken wood from the former table and chair that had been there. "Did you just punch Jack Spicer?" Jack whimpered from the pile of wood. The cue ball had hit him in the stomach, winding him. He lay on the floor, regaining his breath.

A weak smile formed on his little round face. "I did only what was necessary. He should not have tried to get past-"

Another scream cut them short. Kimiko and Omi burst through the open door to find Meg shaking on the floor, clutching her head, with Clay standing helplessly over her. A panicking Raimundo held her shoulders, attempting to comfort her. Tears burst from her eyes as her face scrunched tighter together, he let go immediately. He and the other concerned monks watched helplessly, not knowing how to help her.

"What's wrong with her?" Kimiko asked, her eyes wide with surprise. She too, joined the huddle around the girl, who was twitching on the floor. She cried out, then in between her shrieks, she tried to say something, but after another deafening scream, her words became clear.

"Please… stop… don't hurt me any more. I'm sorry… please!"

"Meg!" Jack gasped from the doorway, Omi went to push him back, but Jack pushed him easily out of the way, knocking him cleanly off his feet. There was a gasp as Omi hit the wooden floor. Jack collapsed on his knees beside Meg, he tried to grab her hands and pull her upright, as he had done before, but as soon as his fingertips touched her bare skin, lightning shot from her hand. Jack squealed and fell backwards, shocked by the sudden burst of her element. Kimiko, Clay, Omi and Raimundo all backed away slightly.

Meg gasped and her eyes thrust open, revealing the whites of her eyes; her pupils had rolled back into her head. Her body suddenly loosened and relaxed on the floor, then another tear dropped from her eye as they rolled back down. They wheeled around in their sockets, searching for someone in particular, and when they found him, Meg collapsed into his arms.

"Jack…" She whispered as her whole body began to shudder in his arms; she was frightened.

And then she broke down. Huge sobs shook her whole body, and all they could do was stare at her with helplessness. No one knew what to say or do to help her; they didn't have the faintest idea what had happened.

"See? Now do you believe this was nothing to do with me?" Jack snarled at Raimundo with obvious hatred in his tone. Raimundo scowled. His eyes were bulging he looked like he wanted nothing more than to punch Jack in the face. Kimiko placed her small hand on his shoulder as her way of telling him to calm down. He reached up and touched her soft hand with his, rough, tanned, much bigger hand. His face fell back to its normal composure.

"Lil' lady?" Clay asked, bending down to place his giant hand on her shoulder. She flinched at his touch, turning her head to see who had touched her, and then she pulled herself off Jack.

"He's…" She sniffed and cleared her throat. Meg took a deep breath to calm her down. "It's Chase… He's still in my head…" She knotted her eyebrows at how silly she sounded.

"Chase is still hurting you?" Jack growled his question, but his expression turned murderous as Meg nodded.

"How is that possible?" Omi asked, eying Meg with obvious curiosity.

"I could just… feel him inside my head. He kept saying 'You can run, but you can't hide' over and over again. It was like he possessed me, or something, and then I could feel him reading my memories. I don't know how I knew what he was doing, but I could just _feel _it. It felt like my head was going to explode…" She said, looking at Jack the whole time, as if she were addressing him solely. She hadn't noticed that she was crowded by four other people, three of which she didn't know.

The monks stared at her with surprise.

"Are you sure they aren't just… really bad nightmares?" Kimiko asked with uncertainty.

"Did that look like a simple nightmare to you?" Jack hissed, his pale fingers twisted around Megs to stop her hands from shaking.

"Don't speak to her like that!" Raimundo snarled, moving towards Jack with the intent of hitting him. He raised his fist.

"No Rai!" Kimiko cried, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him back.

"Don't!" Meg cried, leaping to her feet and forcing herself into Raimundo's path. She spread her arms protectively, ignoring her stinging back. Jack stared in horror at what she had just done.

Raimundo dropped his fist immediately; his eyes were wide with surprise. Then his face twisted into an angry expression.

"What the hell are you protecting him for?" He growled. Kimiko tried to pull him back still.

"Meg…" Jack whispered, trying to pull her away, but she stayed rooted to the spot. She turned a deep shade of red, glaring at Raimundo. She didn't understand.

"Why wouldn't I protect him?" She was so angry that hadn't realised, but the scabs on her back had torn, reopening the many wounds on her back, causing blood to ooze from them.

"Because he's the whole reason you're in this position." He spat as he spoke, gesturing towards her broken body.

Meg turned from red to white and her body stiffened.

"What? Because he's my friend! Don't accuse Jack, it isn't his fault…" She whispered, staring at Raimundo. Her eyes started to water.

_How dare he accuse Jack?_

"I am afraid it is true." Omi said quietly. Meg looked down at the tiny monk.

Meg turned to stare Jack in the face. He looked down, unable to meet her eyes.

"Jack worships Chase!" Raimundo started again, spitting furiously as he spoke, "They've both been our enemies since day one. Jack saw the opportunity to please Chase Young and took you straight there. He isn't a friend to you! He's just a coward who wanted to please his hero. If you thought you could trust him, think again, because he's probably only here to finish you off."

Meg's eyes started to spill.

"That's not true, is it Jack?" She looked at him for a response, but he just looked at the floor shamefully.

"Jack?" She repeated, her voice shook with anger as she spoke.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice seemed to falter. "I…"

Meg waited for a response.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

Anger bubbled inside Meg, and without fully realising what she was doing; she snapped her fist upwards towards his face. He didn't even flinch as her fist shot towards his jaw. Electric bolts crackled around Meg's arm, shooting towards his face as they connected. He fell backwards, slamming onto the wooden floor with an unpleasant bump. His body twitched from the lightning.

Meg stepped over him, ignoring the pain in her back. She could feel something warm and wet trickling down her back. She slammed the door behind her, leaving four stunned monks and Jack Spicer in shock.

"Well…" Clay said in an attempt to break the silence as Jack sat upright again, "I never woulda guessed the lil'lady could throw such a punch."

Jack stared at the door. His stomach sank horribly. What had he done?

* * *

><p>Meg stormed outside, kicking over a plant pot to release her frustration. The pot cracked, spilling the soil and knocking the plant out. She usually would have felt guilty for breaking something that didn't belong to her, but right now, she could murder somebody?<p>

How could her only friend on this side of the world betray her?

She had thought Jack Spicer her friend, only to find out that he had been working against her all along. She stepped outside into the pouring rain, not caring that she was getting soaked through. She sat herself down on a small step, letting the rain soak her through.

Soft footsteps could be heard coming from behind her. Expecting Jack to come and grovel to her, she didn't even turn her head.

"Leave me alone, Spicer." She snarled. Meg was furious. How could he have done this to her? She had placed all her trust in him, gone to protect him, yet all along he was completely against her.

She knew he was the Xiaolin Monks' enemy, yet she had never expected him to knowingly put her in harms way. He had seemed to friendly towards her.

"Sorry, young monk, but I am not Jack Spicer." A cool voice replied. She whipped her head around to see an old monk in blue and white robes standing underneath the veranda.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else." She said, turning her head away from him. Right now, he could have been Chase Young and she wouldn't have batted an eyelid.

"I would advise you to come inside, Meg. Your wounds have reopened." Master Fung eyed her drenched back. She has no idea how he could tell that when she was as soaked as she was.

"You know my name…" She stated.

"My name is Master Fung."

A small smile split across her face.

"I should have listened to you all those years ago. You were right all along." Meg said slowly.

"Come inside, Meg. I will redress your wounds, and you can explain how you came to be here."

With a small nod, she stood up and followed him inside.

She needed someone to talk to, but now, she had no other friend. It was true that Raimundo had rescued her, but Meg didn't know him well enough to trust him.

* * *

><p>The emotional pain of betrayal sticks with a person for a long time, but when it is the betrayal of a friend; the scars remain forever.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>(Review!)<strong>


	10. A Trick Of The Light

CHAPTER TEN: A TRICK OF THE LIGHT

Master Fung led Meg into a small, cosy room. There was a small table in the centre of it with two chairs around it. The table held a teapot, which evidently was full of hot tea, which Meg had observed when she saw steam emerging from the spout, and two cups. The room seemed full, but the table and chairs were the only pieces of furniture in the room, apart from the roaring fireplace. Meg felt warmer instantly. He gestured for her to sit down, which she obliged to. He wasted no time in seating himself too, and proceeded to pour them both a piping hot cup of tea. She took it cautiously, so she did not burn herself and mumbled her thanks. She rested her hands on the warm mug. It was burning her hands; she wasn't used to not wearing gloves. She made a mental note that she would have to ask for their whereabouts. She hadn't seen them since she had removed them in Chase's dungeons, and she only hoped that she hadn't left them behind. The reminders of the place made her shudder a little.

"Meg," Master Fung addressed her, combing her expression with his eyes as she looked up to face him, "I want you to tell me everything."

* * *

><p>"It seems you have been through much, Meg. It is unfair that such events have fallen upon you." Master Fung took a sip from his teacup, watching her take long gulps from hers. It was empty in seconds; she hadn't realised how thirsty she was until the tea had touched her lips.<p>

"Yeah…" Meg said slowly, holding onto the warm cup with her small hands. Like her thirst, she hadn't realised how cold she was, especially since she was still damp. The fireplace; the only source of light, was helping Meg to dry off though, thus keeping her slightly warmer than she would have been otherwise.

Meg didn't know what to say to him. He was mysterious and vague, never showing much expression. His face had remained utterly blank, as she had told her story. Apart from when she mentioned the torture she had endured; he raised an eyebrow, then he did it again when she had mentioned the mental attacks she was suffering.

He was staring at her. His expression was unreadable, and Meg felt uncomfortable underneath his all-seeing gaze. She diverted her eyes away from him, not wanting to let him know her discomfort.

"I suppose I should have come here when I had the chance, then none of this would have happened." She spoke softly.

"It may have happened even if you had. Chase Young has long had his eyes upon the Dragons, and I would speculate that you were simply an easy target for him. If you had come to the Temple back then, you may have been stronger than your fellow Dragons. Omi had always been Chase Young's first choice it seems, but rest assured, whilst you are here, Chase Young will not come for you." Master Fung said reassuringly in an attempt to comfort her.

He didn't want her to feel badly about making the wrong choice; her feeling guilty would be of no benefit to anyone. He hoped he was making her feel safe in the Temple. After all, it was the safest place for her. Chase had not entered the Temple many times before, at least not without someone to do all the dirty work whilst he watched. With four Dragons and himself, Chase had an exhausting battle on his hands.

"Hmm. Maybe you're right then." Meg mumbled, wondering if he was right.

"Well, your wounds are redressed and you seem to be almost dry. Would you like to retire to your bed now? You look exhausted. By the way, I sent a message to your parents to let them know that you had arrived the moment Raimundo brought you back."

She considered this for a moment, and then nodded with a thankful smile. She was grateful for her chat with Master Fung. She didn't have to take orders from him to know that he was going to be an excellent trainer for her.

Master Fung stood up and took her cup from her hand. She moved her hands back quickly. He was, after all, an old man. If she shocked him, she hand no idea how much damage it would do. With a jolt, she remembered that she'd touched Jack with her bare skin when she'd touched him. Her guilt threatened to swallow her, but she ignored it. Why should she feel guilty? He deserved the beating Chase gave him, the arguments from Raimundo and the hardest punch she had ever managed to conjure. Her knuckles were still tingling, and when she looked, she saw that they were swollen and red.

"Err… Master Fung?" She was unsure whether to call him Master or not. She wasn't training there yet.

"Yes?" He asked as he tipped the remaining tea onto the fire to douse the flames.

"Do you know where my gloves are? It's just… I can't control my element, and it means that I don't hurt someone by accident." She mumbled the last part of her sentence, feeling slightly ashamed.

"I'm afraid I do not. You should ask Raimundo, he and Jack have barely left your side." His apologetic tone mirrored his expression.

"Okay… Thanks again for the tea." Meg nodded, before exiting the room.

* * *

><p>Meg walked under the veranda of the Temple's courtyard, feeling cold of the stormy weather. The rain pounded against the veranda above her, occasionally blowing underneath it and hitting the bottom of her legs. She hurriedly made for the nearest door, with little idea of where she was going. She couldn't remember what room she had stormed from, or any idea of how to get there.<p>

She peeked inside the nearest doorframe, and she didn't realise what she had seen at first. In the middle of the room, balancing on his head was the smallest of the monks. A smile slipped onto Meg's face at the ridiculousness of his position. She didn't understand how someone could actually balance on their head, upside down. The thought of it made her feel the need to suppress a laugh. She approached him carefully, so that she didn't startle him, and then cleared her throat gently. The monk wobbled and pulled himself upright, staring at her with wondrous eyes.

"Have you seen Raimundo?" She asked clearly, hoping that he was as nice as he had originally seemed when he had spoke to her before.

"I am afraid not. Is there anything I can help you with?" Omi asked, standing up and moving towards her.

"I was just looking for my gloves actually…" Meg told him, before asking casually: "You haven't seem them, have you?"

"Yes, they were next to you when you woke up." Omi told her, looking up into her eyes.

"Oh. Could you take me there, I'm sort of lost?"

"As you wish, my friend." Omi moved to grab her hand so that he could pull her along, but she jerked her hand away before they came into contact. Omi's face fell, and Meg could tell he was hurt.

"Best not to do that. I might hurt you by accident." She warned, smiling apologetically.

"Is that why you wear gloves?" Omi asked, staring at her hands. Her fingers twitched.

"Yes." Meg said simply, as she moved to follow Omi as he exited from the room. He took her through the many rooms of the Temple with ease, knowing exactly where he was going, dashing with a speed that Meg could barely match, even with her long strides, but her legs _were _stiff. She found that the movement didn't hurt her bandaged back; she supposed the thickness of the bandages Master Fung had given her were solely for that purpose. They were wrapped tightly along her torso, making her look much bigger than her frame suggested. It made moving more difficult and slower, but they did mean that she no longer could feel the extent of her injuries.

"I don't know your name." Meg pointed out, watching the unknown characters little legs moving so quickly as he darted around the room.

"It's Omi."

"Nice to meet you Omi."

"Yes, I have the pleasure too." Omi replied with a smile, before stopping in front of a closed door. Meg gave a small chuckle at Omi's error.

"They are inside that room. I think you can sleep in there too." Omi said, then he gave a loud yawn. "I am going to go to bed now. Goodnight Meg."

"Thanks, Omi. Goodnight." She bent down and gave him a small hug. Omi looked overjoyed as she pulled out of the hug.

"Another hug from a different girl!" He clapped excitedly, before scurrying off, almost skipping.

Meg couldn't help but chuckle at Omi's quirky attitude as she pulled open the door, which creaked loudly, and stepped inside. A single candle lit the small room that she had been resting in before. She wasted no time and clambering onto the sofa she had originally been resting on. She blew the candle out and lay on the sofa, relaxing against its' soft fabric.

It did not take her long to drift off to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>"You can't refuse me, Meg! You can run, but you can't hide…" A cruel voice that she recognised all to well mocked, laughing coldly through the black abyss.<em>

_"Leave me alone!" Meg cried into the unknown voice, echoing through the darkness. _

"_It's only a matter of time before I return for you…" Chase Young's voice echoed all around her. _

_The black stretch went on, and on and on. There were no signs of direction or distance, but that didn't stop Meg from running. _

"_Go away! Get away from me! Leave me be!" Meg screamed into the darkness, looking over her shoulder as she ran through the black. _

"_Meg…" His voice crooned softly. _

"_Not listening!" She stuffed her fingers into her ears, but she could still hear his mocking laughter ringing inside her head. _

_And then she saw him. _

_Chase Young was running after her, approaching her with impossible speed. She darted forwards, as fast as her body allowed her. She could hear her heart screaming and throwing itself around in her chest in protest, but she didn't stop running from him. _

_She allowed herself a glance over her shoulder. He was so close… _

_Feet away from her…_

_A smirk etched onto his cold face. _

_Inches away from grabbing her… _

_His hand reached out._

_And it grabbed her. _

* * *

><p>Meg flew upright, soaked in her own sweat. A cold hand was gripping her shoulder, and a dark figure was standing over her; the candle was snuffed out. She could see nothing but his outline in the dark room. Meg looked up with frightened eyes. Meg let out a gasp, and tried to back away from him, but the hand gripped tighter.<p>

"Meg, it's me!" A voice hissed.

A familiar voice.

Realisation struck her and the fear died away, but her heart was still pumping furiously. She pulled the hand from her shoulder.

"Jesus Christ! Jack, you scared me to death!" Meg clutched at her chest, taking deep breaths to steady her racing heart.

"Sorry…" He muttered, sitting beside her on the sofa, "I thought he might be hurting you again… You were making some pretty weird noises in your sleep."

"It was just a nightmare. What the hell are you doing here Jack? I thought my right hook made it pretty obvious how I felt about you." She snarled. The venom in her usually soft voice caught Jack off guard.

"I was making sure someone was there in case you needed help again." He mumbled.

"I don't need your help," Meg hissed at him, "not now anyway. I could have done with your help when you left me at Chase's house. But no, I bet you were too happy playing with your robot toys to even think about me. Do you even know what he did to me in that hellhole? I thought I was going to die! But most of all, I thought that it wasn't your fault. Stupid me thought it was a mistake, that you were never purposely throw me into Chase's arms, that you would never knowingly hurt me. How stupid was I for thinking that you were my friend?" Meg was shouting now. She could see his outline starting to cower.

"I thought about you every day! Chase told me you were sick and not to disturb you when I tried to talk to you. I thought if I should let you rest and you could tell me when you were better, but when no one ever replied I came here for help." He raised his voice, which was staring to tremble slightly.

"So, you're telling me that Raimundo came to save me because of you?" Meg asked. Her voice was soft again, "Why would he help you? You're both completely different… You're on different sides for a start." Jack noticed the bitterness return to her voice as she spoke, "I knew you were fighting against the Xiaolin Temple, but I didn't think you were with Chase…" Meg's eyes were watering as she spoke and her voice was starting to tremble.

"I'm not with Chase!" Jack denied immediately, standing up now, "No, I could never ever consider him a hero after this."

"You _betrayed _me Spicer." Meg's voice trembled, but she pulled herself together. Tears showed weakness, and she wasn't weak. She wouldn't give Jack the pleasure of knowing how much he had hurt her.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I went straight to Chase's home when I realised that you couldn't still be sick…" Jack mumbled, staring down at his feet.

"Is that another lie?" Meg spat furiously. She too, stood up, glaring at him.

"Meg, I'm sorry. I don't know how to make up for this. I'll never forgive myself for sending you to that god-awful man! I swear, as soon as I'd left, I wanted to come back, but was scared…"

Anger swelled inside her chest, and she knew if she didn't control it, it was going to burst from her faster than she could control it. She _wanted _to hurt him. It was _his _fault that all of this had happened. She brandished her finger and jabbed him hard in the chest with it, "You are nothing but a lying little coward Jack Spicer, and you deserve everything you've got." He winced as her jab hit him in his cracked rib, but his pain was nothing. Not now. His rib throbbed painfully, but he ignored it.

"You don't need to tell me that, Meg. I already know I deserve this, because no matter what happens to me, its' never going to be anywhere near as bad as what I did to you." His voice wobbled, as though he was trying to stop himself crying. Spicer sighed and dropped back onto the sofa, holding his head in his hands.

Meg moved towards the candle and picked up the box of matches beside it. She lit the candle with one of the matches, which made the room flicker and shadows dance against the wall. Jack made a sniffing noise and she knew that he was crying.

In between the dancing shadows in the far corner, she saw him. He was there only for a second, but he was there. Smiling his cruel smile and staring at her with a hungry expression with his head lowered slightly, glowering at her. Meg gasped and her knee's gave way. She slid onto the floor, cowering against the wall.

But he was already gone.

"Meg? What's wrong?" Jack sprang from the sofa and into her line of vision, clutching her shoulders. When she didn't respond or divert her fixed attention from the wall, Jack turned. There was nothing there.

"Meg?" Jack asked, shaking her again with worry.

"It was him. Chase. He was there…" Meg's voice wobbled and tears welled in her eyes again. Only this time, she couldn't stop them from falling.

"There's nothing there." Jack whispered soothingly, "You're seeing things, Chase isn't coming to get you… I won't let him… I promise."

Meg broke down and sobbed, clutching onto his black outfit tightly, wishing that the wall would just swallow her up completely. He held her in an attempt to comfort her, but she could not be comforted. Tears cascaded down her cheeks and her body jolted every few seconds from the huge, racking sobs that escaped from her throat. He slipped beside her and leant against the wall, putting his arm around her shuddering body.

"I'm… j-just so s-scared now…. I d-don't f-feel safe anywhere…" She managed to stammer in the midst of her sobs. Unknowing of how to comfort her, Jack gripped her hand tightly, and his heart leapt when she squeezed it back.

"I won't let him hurt you, I promise." He whispered into her ear and kissed her forehead.

After a while, Meg's sobs died down, and all was silent. Jack began to wonder if she had fallen asleep, yet he didn't want to move from where he was. He didn't care if his back was aching, or he could no longer feel his arm. He didn't care that her hair was itching his neck from when she had rested her head against his shoulder. He didn't care that the candle had burned all of its' wax and dimmed the room into darkness. All he cared about was that Meg was safe, and that he could see her, even feel her with him. He kissed her forehead again and twitched his fingers, which were still intertwined with hers.

After her breathing became steady and slow, he assumed she had fallen asleep. He was just about to move her back onto the sofa, when she whispered:

"I'm glad you're here Jack."

A slight smile flickered onto his face. He was glad he was there too. Not just to comfort her. But because there was something drawing him towards her, and quite frankly, it frightened the hell out of Jack, but he could deny it no more.

_I love you, Meg._

* * *

><p>Chase Young was smiling as he sat on his sofa, resting his arms along the back of it. He let out a sigh, as if he were perfectly happy.<p>

Wuya picked up on his positive mood and inquired into it.

He shouldn't be this happy, not when the Dragons have taken the Fifth for their own.

"What are you so happy about?" She glided around a little. She hated staying still for too long.

"Because, Wuya," He started and a smile split onto his cold face, "Things are going exactly to plan…"

"They are?"

"Yes, I am in the process of driving Meg into a state of torment. Her nightmares, the attacks on her mind, the hallucinations are all things that will intensify as time goes on. I aim to make her feel vulnerable. If she is scared, she will train better, and if she trains better and masters her element within a few weeks, I will have her eating out of the palm of my hand in no time."

"How can you be so sure?" Wuya asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. She despised it when Chase didn't tell her everything. She had been a loyal accomplice for so long, even if she couldn't do much. Yet still, he preferred to leave her in her ghostly form.

"I know that Meg will not leave the Temple by choice now, she wants to master her element. Being terrified will intensify her desire to be stronger. If she masters her element, then I will have all of her power when I transfer it. At the moment, it is merely locked away inside her. The ritual speaks not of how to unlock it, so I would have the same amount of control over the element that she does, and I will not possess the ability to unlock it myself. Therefore I must be patient. There is too much at stake for me not to."

"But how will you get her out of that Temple? You've got the old fool and the Dragons all fighting to protect her?" Wuya asked in confusion, but Chase's smile only widened more.

"Imagine if Mummy and Daddy received a letter, informing them that their little angel was causing mayhem, and charges were to be pressed unless she returned home?"

"That's an excellent idea, Chase…" She crooned into his ear. His smile faded slightly. "So the girl goes home, completely vulnerable? The dragons and Jack will assume she has just gone home, but really she will be here, with the full extent of her power at our fingertips."

"That is correct." Chase said, an evil smirk formed on his face.

"Like candy from a baby." Wuya whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>(Review!)<strong>


	11. Making Progress

**(Thank you to XxUltimateWeirdOxX, who has been helping me write this Chapter for a few days, despite my long and boring rants about silly things in my messages to her. You're a lovely person and a pleasure to chat to. Much gratitude. Hope this chapter pleases you!)**

**(Just to warn you, this one is a LONG one.)**

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MAKING PROGRESS

It had been a month since Meg had been at the Temple, but her progress was outstanding. Her wounds were almost fully healed, but they had not held her back in the slightest as she trained with the Dragons. She and the monks had grown closer and they now treated her as an equal rather than a guest. Jack, Omi, Clay and Kimiko had taught her as much as she could learn about the Shen Gong Wu; Raimundo preferred to avoid Jack completely, which usually meant that he avoided Meg too. Her control over her element was growing stronger with each passing day, and she found that when her emotions ran high, she could contain herself for longer periods of time. Meg had even started to use the Shen Gong Wu; the first time she picked up the Eye Of Dashi she shot a lightning beam straight at Clay's head, which he, and his ever-present ten-gallon hat, barely missed. She had slotted in well with the schedule, and she felt more at home at the Temple than she did anywhere else in the world.

Jack visited her daily, only leaving to retire to his bed at night; but he returned in the morning without fail. While Meg was recovering, she had insisted that he stay with her overnight, much to Raimundo's fury, but when she started to train, he had told her that he didn't want to push his luck with the angry monk. Meg didn't blame him. She had seen it for herself. When their eyes met, a look of _pure _hatred passed between them and it was obvious that they each wanted nothing more than to do damage to the other. Still, they had made efforts to stay away from each other, but Raimundo was close to boiling point. Kimiko had understood at first, but now she couldn't understand what the problem was.

Meg didn't like not having Jack around; he made her feel safe and protected. She knew that no physical harm could come to her while the monks were with her, but she felt vulnerable without him. She found herself longing to see him when he was gone, and she was desperate for his at night when she was afraid or another attack came.

Meg's screaming had grown to be common occurrence in the night, often waking the monks as she did so. In truth, she had tried to stifle her pleading screams for help or mercy; but she could not manage to do it. She was forced to wait it out until the searing pain and the cold voice left her mind. When she returned to her senses, she found herself soaked in a cold sweat, shaking and, more often than not, crying. She had also spotted Chase in the shadows a few times, sending her into fits of panic, but the figure was gone as fast as it had appeared. The waves of agony that swept over her were becoming a nightly event, meaning that she, and the others suffered with getting the correct amount of sleep. At least the others could fall asleep afterwards; Meg spent the rest of the night awake; her eyes darting around the room. When she was afraid, the darkness would creep up and up to her, until she fell back asleep, but she was always tired the next morning. Jack offered to let her sleep at his home, and as tempting as it sounded, she knew she was safer in the Temple. Plus, she didn't want the fuss Raimundo would make over the arrangements. When she had mentioned it to Kimiko, she had said it was a good idea, but Raimundo had scowled and said, "Better to stay here. The Temple is safer. Spicer can't protect you against Chase. He's a coward." And another hated glare would pass between Jack and Raimundo.

* * *

><p>"Oh come on, you know I beat you fair and square!" Meg laughed as she sat down on the steps with Jack and Kimiko in the dusty training area. She and Kimiko had been practising their attack techniques, but since they were both competitive; they somehow managed to turn training into a duel. They were taking a short break to regain their breath; since they were both gasping for air. Jack had been watching with awe, proud of Meg's clear victory.<p>

"P-lease, I could've kicked your butt, I was just letting you win." Kimiko spoke with a smile on her face and she sipped from her bottle of juice. She passed it to Meg who took a long swig.

"Thanks." She handed it back to Kimiko who took another sip, before putting the bottle onto the floor and taking a deep breath. Meg fiddled with the black gloves on her hand; she only ever wore them when she was training now.

_It won't be long before I take these off for good, _she thought. The idea made a smile form on her face.

"I suppose you haven't seen Rai?" Kimiko asked, staring at the empty courtyard. She missed the sound of his grunts of effort and Omi's silly sayings, and Clay's odd comparisons. They rarely trained together anymore. Jack swallowed loudly.

"I haven't." Meg looked down guiltily. Omi had made the mistake of letting it slip that Raimundo had never acted like this before she had arrived; and now her presence made her feel guilty. But still, her control of her element was more important that Raimundo's happiness at the current time. Without her control, she could have killed someone. It only seemed logical to save lives rather than keep a moody teenager happy.

Jack's hand met Meg's glove and patted it soothingly. "It's not your fault." He reassured her, knowing that his efforts were futile, "It's me. We don't get on, so I guess me being here doesn't make him too happy, but I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't think it's you either, Meg." Kimiko spoke softly after a while, before looking at her and Jack with a look of sadness on her face. Her eyes focused on Jack for a second, as if she knew that he were the roots of Raimundo's fury, but then she sighed again. "I don't know what's wrong with him these days. He's not the Rai I fell in love with…"

She trailed off, before gazing at the sky. Meg and Jack held little knowledge of what to say to provide comfort to Kimiko. Besides, the tears that were building in her eyes meant she was close to breaking; it was just something that she would have to speak to Rai about; and demand an answer. Jack's hand was still perched on top of Meg's.

"Guys!" A voice called urgently and Dojo scurried into view from behind them, carrying the enormous Shen Gong Wu Scroll high above his tiny head. It was glowing and a smile split across Kimiko's face.

"Yes!" She smiled and punched the air with glee.

Dojo smiled a little and opened the golden scroll, displaying it to Kimiko, Meg and Jack.

"It's called The Wand of Fortune…" The tiny dragon said knowledgably, holding the scroll up higher. Meg had never seen the scroll before, so she was interested in how it appeared to be animated. In the small blue window of the scroll, she saw a black stickman shooting lines from a stick, which hit a small black rectangle. The rectangle then started to glow. Meg was confused as to what it was trying to show, but it was intriguing to her nonetheless. It took a lot to surprise Meg now. Six months ago, if she had been told that she would be living in a Temple with magical objects or making friends with a dragon and people who had control over the elements, she would have laughed.

Excitement bubbled inside her. She had been looking forward to when a Shen Gong Wu revealed itself; the showdowns sounded marvellous and she was keen to witness one.

"What does it do?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrow at the animation with confusion.

"It's probably one of the most desirable Shen Gong Wu," Dojo puffed his chest up proudly, "I can't tell you the amount of times me and Dashi almost had it stolen. Why, I remember, it was about 1467 years ago, me and Dashi were-"

"Dojo!" Kimiko cut short his story, trying to spare Meg and Jack another long and boring story about Dojo's adventures. He wasn't the best storyteller.

Dojo looked at Kimiko for a second, then let out a short laugh, "Sorry, you know I get carried away. It has the ability to turn things into gold."

Dojo closed the scroll and threw it to the floor, scratching his back with his miniscule claws, as if it were irritating him greatly. His scaly face scrunched together and he let out a content moan as he clawed at his back, sighing with relief.

"Sounds super valuable." Kimiko spoke slowly, "I bet Pandabubba wouldn't mind getting his grubby fingers on this one." The hatred was not well hidden in her voice as she spoke Pandabubba's name. She still had not gotten over the time when he had used the Zing Zom Bone against her father and turned him into a mindless slave.

"So we've got to get to it fast." Meg was totally determined; she wanted to witness a showdown, and she knew that Pandabubba was one of the Xiaolin Dragon's enemies, so she knew they had to move quickly to beat him there, especially if she wanted to see the Dragons win.

"Yeah, we don't want to lose this one. It could be dangerous in the wrong hands. It can even turn people into gold, but either way, I want to get it fast, Dojo was occupied scratching his apparently itchy back, "it's giving me a Shen Gong Wu rash." The dragon's scales were beginning to turn a lighter colour and it almost looked as if they were growing lumpy. The sight of it turned Meg's stomach and made her feel sick.

Repulsed, Meg stood up, "I'll go get Rai, Omi and Clay." She offered, glad to get away from Dojo and his revolting scales. Jack followed her inside the Temple wordlessly, like a lost puppy, before grabbing her gloved hand and halting her in her tracks.

"Had I better go home and wait for you to come back?" He asked, pulling her towards him so that his red eyes met her soft brown ones.

"No, of course not. I want you to come with me…" Meg's eyebrows knotted with confusion, but then she understood as Spicer paused, "Rai should be fine with you. Hopefully he'll be mature enough to have his eyes on the Wu. He'll be too busy to notice you."

"Huh. Maybe you're right." Jack said uncertainly. The hesitancy on his face could not have been more obvious.

Meg gave a comforting smile as she took his hand and started walking again. She gave a small laugh. "You worry too much, Jack."

* * *

><p>Meg clung onto Dojo tightly. She had never flown on him before and was having difficultly adjusting to the new method of transport. Omi was sitting near his giant head, with Raimundo and Kimiko, holding each other tightly, directly behind him. Clay sat behind Raimundo, followed by Meg and Jack. The dragon was carrying a hefty weight with all of them combined, but he managed to fly seamlessly through the sky, as usual. Kim and Rai were chatting quietly, and Clay was trying to convince Omi that his element was just as powerful as Omi's, but the small monk was adamant that he was the superior. Omi had always believed himself to be above the others. It wasn't that he didn't value the others elements, it was just that he thought himself to be the most powerful.<p>

Meg had turned paler than Jack had ever believed someone could go and she couldn't stop her knees from quivering against Dojo. His giant scales were uncomfortable and rubbed against her skin, making her cringe away from them. When she tried to move away, she had caught a glimpse at just how high up they were and clung on tighter. Meg and heights was not a great mix, particularly when she was so high up that she could see whole cities at one time. She had never been too fond of heights. Plus, Dojo's body was slithering through the air and the churning motion was not helping Meg's situation. She chose to take deep breaths and stare at Clay's hat to distract herself, as Jack moved to put his arms around her middle to help her feel more secure. The sheer speed at which Dojo was travelling did not help either. The passing birds and clouds were merely a blur of colours.

"How much further?" She managed to say loud enough for Dojo to hear against the whistling wind brushing their ears.

"Well, the tingling feeling in my stomach is telling me to head down." He yelled as they zoomed towards a dense forest. Dojo's body shuddered beneath the Dragons. "HOLD ON TIGHT!" He warned with a yell, barely giving Meg enough time to grip onto him as he did a nosedive towards the forest. She squeezed her knees against his writhing body as strongly as she could. A gasp escaped her throat as the wind whipped against her panic-stricken and pale face. They sped over the huge forest at rocket-speed, looking for an entrance into it between the thick and bushy trees. When no obvious entrance appeared, Dojo took the opportunity to dive into a gap between two thick and tall trees, hoping for a spot to land, but there was no such luck. The gap revealed a boggy swamp, so Dojo was forced to dodge through the trees, searching for a clearing big enough for him to make a landing. The trees became a one big green blur as they zoomed through the forest. The others were used to it, but Meg was struggling. In order to dodge the low branches, Jack had been forced to release his grip on Meg and duck against the dragons' scales. It just so happened that the waves of Dojo's body left Jack higher than the others, and more exposed the low branches.

One of the thickest and tallest trees in the forest was stretching towards them too quickly and Dojo only swerved sharply as Kimiko screamed "DOJO! LOOK OUT!" His whole body jolted as he turned in the air. The swerve tossed Meg sideways, catching her unawares. His slippery scales were too smooth for her to hold on. The fabric of her robes gave her little grip against his smooth scales.

With a strangled cry, she slipped sideways and off the dragon. The instant she left his body, everything became a blur, and nothing was recognisable. Meg could only feel the air around her and she knew she was falling, and falling fast. Jack reacted faster than she could register. He stretched out his pale hand, but it was too late. Her outstretched hand didn't come close to his as she made a desperate attempt to retrieve her place on Dojo.

"MEG!" She heard Jack shout, but the flash of green was gone. The blur of brown that she caught a glimpse of told her that she had just missed hitting a tree, and narrowly at that, she had felt the air graze against her as she flew past the trunk. She screwed her eyes tight, waiting for the inevitable collision that would kill her. She knew it was coming. She could _feel _it. She doubted she'd even get to the floor; she'd most likely hit a tree, headfirst. Maybe break her neck and die instantly.

It felt as though she was falling in slow motion, but her pounding heart told her otherwise. It was crashing around inside her chest painfully, screaming in outrage. She thrust her eyes open again, praying for something to help her. But then she felt something hit her. She assumed that must have hit a few fragile twigs first, because the blur that had been her only method of vision was altering to much less of a blur now, enabling her to see things slightly more clearly. There was also the sound of various snaps, alerting her that her fall was being slowed as the tiny branches broke beneath her weight. She knew now that if she wanted to survive the fall, she would have to rely completely on her instincts. The colours and shapes were moving too fast for her to judge what was the best option. She had to think quickly and hope for the best outcome. Something hard collided with her left thigh painfully, knocking her in the air. Her eyes couldn't keep up with her movements, but her instincts served her well as she swerved in the air. A line of brown hinted that a sturdy branch within her reach, and hoping that her gut was right, she reached out for it with both arms.

Like some sort of ninja, her hands clasped onto the branch and she halted herself completely, her fingers almost slipping as the momentum she had gathered urged her forward. She sighed in relief and couldn't help but laugh shakily at her luck. She allowed herself a glance down as she hung from the branch. Her stomach lurched slightly; she was still high enough to injure herself if she fell, particularly since the floor was covered in the trees roots. Her heart was still thumping inside her chest and she could feel her legs beginning to tremble.

Meg shimmied along the branch towards the trunk of the tree, where another branch was conveniently within the distance of her foot. As she neared the trunk, her toes could just reach the edge of the branch. She pushed herself towards the trunk as far as she could go, giving her just enough space to put her toes on the branch. Hugging the trunk for support, she gently lowered herself onto the lower branch. Then, she swung underneath it, hanging onto it for a second. She looked around for another branch, but this was the lowest one. She swore loudly; the ground still looked pretty far away.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and let go.

* * *

><p>"DOJO! STOP! STOP!" Jack cried, swivelling on the dragon in search of Meg. The dragon panicked and started to slow himself down. Jack was looking around in all directions for any sign of her. He failed to notice the low branch, which slapped him on the back of his head with a nasty-sounding crack. A smirk slipped onto Raimundo's face, which Kimiko scowled at. Jack rubbed his head, feeling as though he had just been hit over the head with a brick and scanned the forest. No one had realised Meg wasn't behind Clay's large build.<p>

Once Dojo had slowed down enough, Jack swore loudly.

"There's no sign of her!"

"What's wrong?" Kimiko asked with concern. She had grown to realise that Jack was not the snivelling coward that she had always assumed him to be.

"She fell!" Jack said, jerking his head in all directions as Dojo lowered into a clearing.

"What?" Raimundo snarled, finally acknowledging Jack Spicer.

"She was there and then we turned and I couldn't grab her in time." Jack said, throwing himself off the Dragon before he had touched the ground, swearing under his breath as his foot landed awkwardly on a protruding tree root, sending shooting pains up his leg.

"Jack and I will look for her, you three go on ahead and look for the Wu." Kimiko volunteered, concerned. She hoped that Meg had not hit the tree, and she would have gladly sacrificed her part in a Xiaolin Showdown for Meg's safety.

"There is no way you're going with _him._" Raimundo spat in Jack's direction, glaring. Jack didn't notice and was too busy looking around in the outlying bushes for any signs of Meg. "Yet another time you've put Meg in danger, Spicer." He snarled at Jack. Sensing the danger, Kimiko pulled Rai away, placing her tiny hands on his face to get his eyes to meet hers.

Jack would have confronted him at any other time, but his head was too confused.

"One moment she was there and then she was gone!" He said, mostly to Kimiko.

"Calm…" She whispered soothingly to Raimundo.

"I'll go." Clay said quietly, "You three go on and look for the Shen Gong Wu. Me 'n Jack'll have to make do. It'll be like try'na find a needle in a haystack, but if the lil'lady's hurt, then someone's gotta help Jack. An' Omi ain't gonna wanna miss a Showdown." He gestured towards Omi, who was barely paying attention. His mind was focused on the Shen Gong Wu. They eyed him as his vision wandered around the trees.

"Okay, fine." Raimundo said in a stiff tone, taking Kimiko's hand and pulling her away.

"C'mon, partner." Clay shouted to Jack, who looked like he was about to run back through the undergrowth and roots. He had already ventured far enough away from them. Jack ran back to Clay, looking as though he was about to burst into tears. Clay put his enormous hand on Jack's shoulder and pulled him towards Dojo, who had stayed in his large form, waiting for a search party to climb aboard.

"We'll catch you up when we've got 'er." Clay said to Omi, Rai and Kim.

"Make sure you find her." Kimiko told them as Dojo took off.

"I will, I promise." Jack replied seriously, leaving no hint of doubt in his tone; he meant business.

* * *

><p>Meg hit the floor, bending her knees and letting her legs take the blow. She barely felt it as she hit the floor. She allowed herself a deep breath to steady her thumping heart, then stood completely upright. She laughed shakily, thankful for her sheer luck at surviving the fall. She didn't want to think about how high up she had fallen from.<p>

Meg looked around, realising for the first time that she had no idea where she was. She saw that she was in a small clearing, surrounded by hundreds of dense trees as far as her eyes could see. She looked up, only to see the sun peeking through the cracks in the leaves' canopy. With a resigned sigh, she started to walk, with no idea of where to go. Heading in no direction in particular, she made her way between the trees, avoiding the hefty protruding roots and the occasional fallen tree.

_I can't just stay here and wait for them, I'll have to go and look for them myself._

* * *

><p>After what felt like hours of walking, Meg took a rest, leaning against a thick tree to support her aching feet. She could see no signs of the forest thinning. The thick layer of intertwining leaves and branches above her head was only getting thicker, blocking out all but the tiniest rays of sunlight.<p>

And then she spotted it.

It was perched on a low branch, with a element of shininess surrounding it. It was impossible to miss it, and Meg wondered how she had not spotted it from afar. Excitement bubbled inside Meg. She had found it.

"The Wand of Fortune!" Meg gasped, running towards the shining metallic object. It looked like a black stick with a large green gem encrusted at the end of it. She neared the object, and in an attempt to reach it, she bent down and pushed herself from the ground, as hard as she could. Her fingertips skimmed the edge of the branch, wobbling it, but the Shen Gong Wu didn't budge.

"Damn," She cursed, scanning the area for other possible ways to reach it, but she decided to go for the most simple; Meg took a run at a nearby tree, launching herself onto it, before pushing her self off away from it. She landed agilely on the branch, wobbling slightly.

_Now would be a great time to remember all that training I did on balancing, _Meg thought as she edge along the thin branch. Her slippery shoes held little grip against the wood, and she could hear the branch creaking under her weight. She hoped desperately that the branch would hold her weight as she edged along it slowly, throwing out her arms to help her balance. She almost lost her balance once or twice, but she managed to regain it before falling.

An odd rustling sound was shaking the branches above her. A few twigs and leaves fell from above her and hit her face. When she looked up for the unknown source of movement, she almost lost her balance from the shock.

Swinging lithely around the branches was a girl. She was dressed like a cat; in a leather suit, complete with ears and a tail. It even had built in claws, which, from the way they were helping her grip against the bark of the tree, were very sharp. She had used black make up to create black lines across her cheeks, and Meg couldn't help but notice she bore the striking resemblance to a cat in her features. The only thing that looked human about her was her blond hair, which was just protruding through the top of her cat suit. Her green eyes were focused on one thing; the Shen Gong Wu.

Her movements were a blur of black amidst the green and brown, but Meg could tell she was darting around quickly, and hurried towards the object, but the added pressure just made her lose her balance. The branch was creaking loudly now, and Meg could feel it was about to snap, particularly since the branch was getting thinner and thinner. Yet, Meg would not give in so easily.

The cat woman was so close.

Just one well timed jump and she would snatch it, right from under Meg's nose.

With a determined yell, Meg threw herself forward, launching herself towards the shiny object. Her outstretched fingers managed to grasp around the object, but so did another set of fingers; black, clawed fingers. Meg felt herself land on the branch, which collided painfully with her chest, knocking the wind out of her. The branch snapped from the sudden weight, sending them both crashing towards the uneven floor.

The cat woman landed on her feet deftly, with a look of pride etched upon her catlike face. A smirk formed on her face when she heard the nasty thud of Meg landing beside her, her fingers still clinging onto the black wand.

Meg hit the floor, hard. Her head smacked against something, sending an explosion of pain through her shocked body. The feeling reminded her of Chase's mental attacks. Her wrist had landed awkwardly beneath her, and was now aching and throbbing. Meg caught her breath, then pulled herself to her feet shakily. She blinked a few times to clear her blurry vision, the put her hand to her head. Something wet was trickling from her forehead, dripping down her face; she put her fingers to it, before looking at them to discover that she was bleeding.

"Great." She muttered, before wincing as her wrist throbbed again.

"Don't you mean purr-fect?" The cat smiled, revealing to Meg that her smile was just as feline. Her voice was cruel and mocking.

Meg pulled a sarcastic face at her, before tugging on the glowing object.

"Down to business then?" The girl asked, looking Meg up and down, "I could tell you were one of those losers."

"Who the hell are you?" Meg managed to say in between her attempts to get her breath back.

"Katnappe." She purred mockingly, before raising one eyebrow and asking with a smile, "And you?"

"Meg." She said, glowering at Katnappe.

"Right, Meg I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" Katnappe pointed her claw towards Meg's face.

"I wager my Third Arm Sash." She pulled some blue fabric that had been attached to her belt, showing it to Meg with pride.

"Damn, I don't have a Shen Gong Wu with me." Meg said, cursing herself for not bringing one with her.

"Yeah you do," A familiar voice called behind her, making her jump.

"Clay!" Meg smiled, glad to see her companion, but her smile split into an ever bigger grin when she saw Jack. He sighed with relief when he saw she wasn't badly hurt, but his smile faded when he saw the blood on her forehead, which was starting to trickle again. Clay was staring at the Wu in Meg's and Katnappe's hands. With a smile, he threw a small object to her, which she caught in her hand.

"Now you've got the Eye of Dashi." Clay said, nodding at her.

"I wager the Eye Of Dashi." Meg held it up so Katnappe could view it, before looping the string around her neck. She then continued to stare at her rival; feeling the determination to beat her well up inside her chest.

"The game is to get to the Wu first. Simple." Katnappe's catlike face curled into a cruel smile. She was overly confident and cocky, Meg didn't like her one bit.

"Fine." Meg could have spat in her direction. The sight of Katnappe was irritating her, and she wanted nothing more than to beat her in the showdown.

"Then let's go Xiaolin Showdown." Katnappe smirked again.

The sound of instruments playing rang through the air. There was a flash of white, and suddenly the forest was no more. Meg could feel herself moving, and the Shen Gong Wu vanished from her fingers.

When Meg opened her eyes; the Xiaolin Showdown was ready and waiting for her.

* * *

><p><strong>(I know this chapter wasn't too great, but still, leave me a review! Thank you!)<strong>


	12. The Student Becomes The Master

CHAPTER TWELVE: THE STUDENT BECOMES THE MASTER

When the scene resolved from the flash of white, Meg was standing on the trunk of a sawed down tree, high above the ground. In front of her was a series of tree branches, intertwining and locking into each other; almost like a lattice of frail twigs. It resembled an obstacle course in the way that the wall of twigs had tiny openings just big enough for her to fit through. Meg assumed she would have to clamber through the twigs to reach the unknown other side. She took a second to peek inside the gap. The wall didn't look too thick, which meant that there would definitely be something else, waiting on the other side; but the hedge-like twigs had done an excellent job of concealing what was on the other side.

Katnappe was doing the same to her left, perched on another humungous tree stump. It looked as though the task was the make it through the obstacles and reach the Wand Of Fortune first; wherever it might be.

Meg gripped the Eye of Dashi tightly, knowing that she now held a huge responsibility. Not only to bring home the Wand Of Fortune and the Third Arm Sash, but to keep the Eye of Dashi. Seeing Katnappe's smug face only made her more determined. She glared at the blond girl, before setting a determined expression on her face. Their eyes met for a second, and a flicker of hatred passed between them, which was not easily missed.

"Go get 'er Meg!" Clay whooped from somewhere behind her. When she swivelled round, her knee's started to shake. She was on one of the highest tree trunks she had ever seen. She could barely see the ground; it was all just a multitude of colours as far as she could see. Even the horizon was a mixture of green and blue. Meg swallowed and directed her vision to Clay, who was standing on another tree trunk, much thicker and higher up. Jack and Dojo, as well as the other three, who were like spectators at at a race, accompanied him. That was, after all, what the showdown was: a race to the Wu. Meg couldn't help but notice the grumpy expression on Raimundo's face as Jack smiled to her.

After a steadying breath, she turned back around to Katnappe, who looked very smug indeed. The corners of her mouth had curled into a twisted smile, displaying her emotions proudly; she clearly thought she was going to win. Determination bubbled inside of Meg, but it was being stifled by her fear; she could barely see the green ground from her position.

"Are you ready?" Katnappe jeered, crouching into a catlike pouncing position. Meg matched her stance and readied herself, taking another steadying breath.

_This is it. I've got to win this…_

"I'm ready." Meg confirmed, before muttering a dozen choice curses under her breath, all aimed at the cat-wannabe not so far away from her.

"GONG YE TAMPAI!" The pair yelled in unison.

Then, the Xiaolin Showdown was under way.

* * *

><p>Meg dived straight into the lattice of twigs, using all her strength to push her body along the sea of twigs, which seemed to reach out and grab at her, trying to pull her back. The gap was just about wide enough for her to fit through. The hard sticks scraped against her skin, leaving shallow gashes along her arms and face. Her robes caught on them, ripping and tearing holes, but that didn't stop her.<p>

Each branch she touched seemed to snap, except the ones beneath her, so she pushed with her legs, wriggling along the uncomfortable branches. The adrenaline rush was working completely in her favour. From the sounds of the struggled groans, Katnappe was having much more difficultly than Meg was.

It wasn't long before Meg neared the edge of the wall of twigs and forced her way out, falling headfirst out of the wall. She somersaulted in the air, landing deftly on her feet. She heard the cry of "Third Arm Sash!" from Katnappe, who was apparently still struggling inside the wall. There was a cheer from her supporters, which encouraged her to proceed. She was in the lead.

She allowed herself a quick glance down, spotting that there were various cuts and scrapes, lining her body. There were tiny leaves embedded in her thick, brown hair, and she was sure the wound on her head was still bleeding. It was a nagging pain on her forehead, but it was of little importance now. She would worry about it later.

In front of her was a series of tree trunks, sawed in half, like stepping stones for her to make her way across to large gap. She gulped again as her knee's went weak; she was still ridiculously high up. Beyond the stepping-stone tree trunks, there was a large, craggy rock face, which was part of a tall mountain. The grey stone looked flawless, but when Meg scanned the rock, the Shen Gong Wu was glowing brightly at the top of it. It was only going to be reachable by climbing the rocks.

She felt as though she was about to faint. Realisation sank in. She was going to have to conquer her fear in order to win the showdown. The first step wasn't that far; she could have made it without any effort.

"You can do it Meg!" Kimiko shouted distantly from behind her, urging her forward. She seemed to have noticed Meg's hesitancy to continue.

She took a deep breath, and began to make her way across the trunks. The heights made her feel nauseous and dizzy, but she kept going.

On the fourth trunk, Katnappe burst from the wall, with various tears in her leather outfit and a look of pure anger on her face. Her blonde hair was askew, now protruding more so than before from the hood of her suit.

Once Meg had spotted her, the fear of heights was gone. She was bounding across the trunks like a ninja, landing lithely with an air of skill, before taking another huge leap to the next one. She couldn't move fast enough. Whether it was the determination to win, or the adrenalin rush, Meg didn't know. All she knew was that something was motivating her to move, and move quickly too.

In a harsh voice, Katnappe screeched at the top of her lungs, "Third Arm Sash!"

The blue fabric shot out towards Meg from her belt, as Katnappe started pouncing along the trunks. The fabricated claw wrapped itself around her ankle as she sprang forward for a jump, yanking her feet backwards.

The watchers gasped as Meg fell, face-first towards the trunk. Dojo actually shielded his eyes; he didn't want to see her smack her face off the tree. However, to their surprise; she didn't. Her instincts kicked in the moment she had heard Katnappe screech for the Shen Gong Wu to be activated. Her hands had flown out as her ankle was pulled from beneath her. Her jump had left her flying towards the next tree trunk, headfirst. She had somehow managed to twist herself in the air and land on the tree trunk. She was hugging it, like a koala, but without the claws. Her fingers had clamped tightly around the enormous tree trunk as she clung on, as if her life depended on it. She groaned strenuously as all of her energy went in to keeping her grip around the bark. Meg squeezed her knees tightly together, her arms shaking with the sheer effort.

"She can't cling on for a long time. That's cheating." Kimiko reported, watching Meg slip down the trunk slightly. The slip had forced her cheek against the bark, leaving a red graze in its' wake. She could also feel a deeper cut on her right palm, which was stinging, and her left palm was actually dripping blood.

Katnappe was ahead now, cackling smugly as she passed Meg with a mocking wave.

"Cat-ch me if you can!" She jeered, smirking.

Meg swore loudly and squeezed the bark tighter. In one quick movement, she let go of the tree with her left hand, pulled the Eye of Dashi from around her neck and aimed it to her left, before yelling: "Eye of Dashi!" Her grip slackened, sending her sliding further down the tree, as the Shen Gong Wu glowed golden. The lightning burst from the red jewel in its' centre and struck the base of Katnappe's column-like tree.

There was a huge _CRACK_ as the base of the tree snapped. The crack resonated in the air, and Katnappe froze as the tree rumbled beneath her. Then a shrill scream fell onto the air, as the tree she was standing on leered backwards, away from the top of the next tree stump. With a cat-like yowl, she flung her whole body forward towards a tree, colliding with it with a nasty thump. The tree she had left fell, knocking over Katnappe's previous stumps like dominoes. Katnappe dug her claws deep into the tree's bark, using them to stop herself falling. She was still ahead of Meg, but the use of her claws had meant she grinded to a slow halt on the tree, leaving her at a lower height.

Seizing the moment, Meg used all of the energy she could muster to pull herself up towards the top of her tree trunk, cursing as her bleeding palm stung from the dirt and pressure they were being subjected to. Her heart was thumping furiously, like a motivating beat that would somehow help her to win. She felt as though she was going to slide down the bark at any second, but her strong grip told her otherwise.

Meg's supporters cheered her on, and with a big swing of her right arm, her fingertips touched the top of the tree's flat surface. She used what little strength she had left to pull her body up, getting to her feet with determination. A big grin split onto her dirty and bleeding face as she began leaping across the trees once again.

When she reached the other side, Katnappe was using her claws to pull herself back up, groaning with effort. Meg wasted no time in leaping onto the rock face, ignoring her bleeding palms and the throbbing pain in her head. Her fingers were aching as she started to pull her exhausted body up the rocks. The Shen Gong Wu was so near to her now; just a few feet away.

Katnappe hoisted herself to her feet, scowling instantly. If she didn't act soon, Meg was going to win the Wu. She deftly leapt across the remaining trees, before screaming "Third Arm Sash!" aiming it directly to Meg's legs again. A smirk slid onto her sly face, but it soon fell from her face.

What happened then, no one expected. Without realising fully what she was doing, Meg clutched the Eye of Dashi, which was swinging from her neck, with her left hand. She clung on with all her might using her right hand, turned her body and pointed it at Katnappe. It was like an instinct was emerging, fighting against her current knowledge, trying to prove its' worth. She didn't know how she knew what to do, but she could feel it. The words burst from her lips without her even considering them.

"EYE OF DASHI, LIGHTNING!" She shouted.

And then everything went quiet.

In fractions of a second, a huge bolt of lightning shot from the Eye of Dashi. It was so powerful, Meg felt her body be pushed against the rocks, and she had to tighten her already strong grip just to hold on. The lightning was so bright; Meg was forced to squint to stop her eyes from hurting. It was easily the biggest and most powerful thing she had ever seen.

There was a feeling of release as the lightning burst from the Shen Gong Wu.

Katnappe's eyes went wide with fear as the lightning shot towards her. It shot her squarely in the chest, and she was tossed off the stump like a rag-doll. Her body looked limp as a squeal escaped her throat and she disappeared over the edge of the cliff.

Meg heard her scream echoing as she fell and at that moment, Meg knew what she had done:

Mastered her element.

It was almost as if it had been there all along, just waiting for her to unlock.

The monks and Jack could be heard cheering, whooping and she could have sworn she saw Raimundo smile.

_Can't be…._

The biggest smile yet split onto her face, and she hurriedly forced herself up the rocks, almost slipping twice. She grazed her knee the second time, but this only urged her forward more. After hoisting her exhausted body up the rocks, taking care to get a firm grip before moving, she came close to the Wu.

She reached out towards the glowing object, and the instant her mucky fingers wrapped around it, everything went white.

* * *

><p>They were back in the forest instantly, with the magic of the showdown gone.<p>

With a sense of pride, Meg stood, looking rather smug with the Third Arm Sash, The Eye Of Dashi and The Wand Of Fortune in her arms. Katnappe looked as though she could have strangled her. Snarling, she disappeared without another word. Meg's smile widened even more.

"I won…" The words sounded distant, but when the realisation sank in, it was a feeling like no other. She felt like she could have exploded with happiness. The bumps, bruises, cuts and scrapes were no longer an issue; it was all unimportant now, because she had won her first Xiaolin Showdown, and she had the Shen Gong Wu to prove it.

Kimiko, Omi, Dojo, Clay and Jack rushed over to her, having landed a few feet away. Jack was positively beaming at her, and Meg couldn't resist running into his arms. She practically threw the Shen Gong Wu at Clay, who didn't react fast enough and clumsily dropped the Wand of Fortune, before blushing and hastily retrieving it.

Meg leapt into Jack's arms, lifting her feet off the ground and laughing joyously. Nothing had ever felt so good. Jack was surprised to say the least, but even more so when Meg pressed her lips to his. She clung to him, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, pulling him gently to her. Jack wrapped his hands around her waist, responding to her kiss with passion. It felt so right, for both of them, almost as if it made them both complete. Word could not describe the happiness she felt; it simply made her feel happier than she had ever felt before in her life.

There was a cooing sound from Kimiko and Dojo, but whereas Omi and Clay looked uncomfortable. Raimundo was livid; he looked as though he wanted nothing more than to murder both of them, but his stares of hatred went unnoticed as the pair continued their kiss. Eventually, Clay cleared his throat, feeling that the kiss had gone on for too long, and the pair broke apart.

Meg was beaming proudly at her companions, whereas Jack chuckled nervously and blushed. Meg wrapped her fingers around his as the others rushed to congratulate her.

* * *

><p>"Congratulations are in order!" Kimiko smiled, raising her bottle of juice high in the air, much like someone who was proposing a toast would do. The others held up their drinks to a blushing Meg, who was sitting awkwardly, looking embarrassed at the table. The monks had just had a celebratory meal and were celebrating Meg's victory with a cake and a toast of juice, or in Omi's case, water.<p>

"Well, Meg, you've come so far, and we're all really proud of you…" Kimiko started, before she started to giggle. The night had been full of laughs and jokes, as well as Meg's detail by detail story that she had been begged to tell at least twice. Meg and Jack's hands had barely left each other's, and still Raimundo had barely smiled. He had not joined the others with a meal, telling them that he was not feeling well and needed to go to sleep, although if he actually managed to get to sleep was another matter, as the monks and Jack were making so much noise with their celebrations. His presence was not missed, to say the least.

The night was long and full of fun, especially since Kimiko had provided some music for them to dance to from her brand new iPod. Omi's efforts at dancing had been the source of entertainment for the others; his stiff body and inability to process the moves had not made him much of a dancer, yet his determination to try was inspiring. It led to the others impersonating his moves, to which he got rather angry at; yet another source of entertainment.

* * *

><p>When Meg finally stumbled into her "bedroom", it was easily two in the morning. Jack had left at around one, and slowly the others had followed in his footsteps; retiring to bed until Meg and Kimiko were left. By this time, they were both tired and decided to go to sleep. She had planned to dive straight onto the floor on her mat and fall asleep, feeling exhausted from her day, but to her surprise, there was something waiting for her on her thin yellow blanket.<p>

She bent down in the darkness, scooping it up. She lit the candle on the stand in her little "cubicle" as Kimiko described it, and read the loopy hand-writing. She recognised it instantly. The letter was addressed to her, so she tore it open and began to read:

'_Meg, _

_You know we love you very much, but these past few months have been hectic. We received a letter a week ago, telling us what you had been getting up to. We are not at all impressed with your behaviour, young lady. If you don't leave that place that you're staying at as soon as possible, we will march right over there and come and get you. _

_We know all about the mayhem you've been causing. This letter says it all. You realise we're going to be sued if you don't get your arse back home?_

_It's not open for discussion, you're coming home, and if you know what's good for you, you'll get home straight away. There's a ticket enclosed. See that you use it, or we're coming to get you. We don't care if we have to drag you out. You're not staying there anymore._

_We thought you were a good daughter, that you were never let us down in the way that you have. We thought you were going to make us proud, but instead you've done nothing but brought shame upon us. _

_This is serious Meg; we can't afford to be sued under the circumstances. If you don't leave straight away to come home, charges are going to be pressed, and we can't afford that. _

_Come home, as soon as you get this._

_Love, _

_Your Mother and Father. _

_Xxxx'_

Meg was horrified. Her whole body had frozen as panic seized her. She didn't even notice the piece of paper drop from her fingertips as she stood, horrified at what she had just read. How could they just write to her and expect her to drop everything? And who was suing them? What exactly had she done that was wrong?

So many objections and questions sprang to her mind, that she was instantly filled with anger. She wouldn't go home, she would refuse. Why should she? Her parent's had never cared when she was home! Maybe they were just jealous that she was finally happy.

Attached to the back of the letter, as promised, was a ticket back home to England. Meg felt like tearing it up, right there and then, but that wasn't the best idea, and even in her bout of anger, Meg knew that.. She knew that her parents would only contact her if it were urgent, therefore the best thing to do, was to go home. It would only be for a few days, just to explain to her parents that she wasn't going to come home permanently, and to find out more about who was pressing charges against her. It was ludicrous, after all, what bad had she done? She had harmed no one to her knowledge; even Katnappe had seemed fine after being shot by the huge bolt of lightning.

Maybe it was all a misunderstanding.

Yes,

That was most likely it.

A simple misunderstanding.

Meg ripped the envelope, forming another piece of paper, large enough to write a message on to explain her absence to her friends. She didn't have any other choice but to leave. It was inevitable that she would have to; letter had said if she didn't come home, they would come to get her.

She dived into her chest of belongings, finding a pen, and then scribbled a hasty message for her friends to find in the morning:

'_Jack, Omi, Raimundo, Kimiko & Clay, _

_I'll be gone by the time you read this, and it saddens me to leave, even for this short time. I won't be gone long, I promise. My parents want me to return home, there are some problems with me staying here apparently, but I promise you all, I'll be back as soon as I sort this out. I wouldn't leave unless I had another option, but it's something that needs to be solved and once it is, I will be back, I swear._

_If I don't leave and fix this, things will get worse. I'm sorry to have to go without saying goodbye, and I'm going to miss you all, especially you, Jack and Kim; you've both been more than wonderful to me. _

_I promise, I'll be back as soon as I sort things out at home. _

_Love you all, _

_Meg, _

_X'_

It was untidy and barely readable, but it would have to do. She left the message on her undisturbed mat, clutched the ticket in her hand and snuffed out the candle. The plane was leaving soon and she knew, without a doubt, that she had to be on it.

* * *

><p>Meg crept out of the Temple in the darkness, stopping in the courtyard once to admire it in the moonlight. Her heart dropped as she realised that there was a slim chance that she might never be able to return. Her parent's were unpredictable; maybe they would imprison her in her own home. With a small smile, she shook her head. They would never be able to stop her coming home. The Temple was her home now, and nothing would stop her returning.<p>

She never expected anyone to be awake so early.

"Where are you going?" Raimundo's voice whispered from inside the Temple. Meg jumped, not realising he had been there. She clutched her chest, as her heart was clanging around noisily from the sheer shock.

"I've got to go home for a few days. I'll be back soon." Meg whispered her response, not wishing to go into details; "There's a note on my mat, read it."

In the moonlight, Raimundo stepped forward from the shadows, with his arms folded. He was wearing some light blue pyjama's, which made him look more boyish than ever. He frowned, as if trying to understand what she had said, then he moved towards her, wincing as he trod on a pebble with his bare feet when he moved along the stone pathway.

"Why are you leaving in the middle of the night?" Raimundo whispered, still approaching her.

"It can't wait. I've got to go." She hissed impatiently.

"Wait a sec." Raimundo told her, reaching out towards her arm. She jerked it away before he could touch it. "Jeez, I'm only trying to work out why you're leaving."

"Read the fucking letter then!" Meg couldn't help but raise her voice slightly, feeling anger rise inside her. Raimundo looked hurt for a second, but then his expression changed to an angry one to match Meg's.

"I'm only looking out for you, Meg. What if Chase Young had lured you out? I was just trying to make sure you were okay. Sheesh, if this is the thanks I'm gonna get, I won't bother next time. You know I had to leave my nice, warm mat for this and everything? And that pebble really hurt." Raimundo's voice started off angry, but then it softened into a teasing tone, almost as if he was trying to make her laugh.

It worked, because a smile found its' way onto Meg's face.

"It's not Chase, alright? You think I'd willingly go back there?"

"Maybe he bribed you or something, I don't know. Like, you 'go to him or we get killed' kinda thing. That dude's sly. He'll do anything to get what he wants."

Meg smiled, "If that was the case, you'd better kiss your ass goodbye. I ain't saving you." She said with a laugh, and the pair giggled for a moment.

"I thought I'd check why you were sneaking off in the middle of the night, that's all. You swear it's nothing bad?"

"Yes." Meg nodded, "My parent's don't want me to be here, so I'm just going back to talk them around. I'll be a few days, tops."

"Okay. If you're sure." Raimundo still didn't look convinced, but Meg punched his arm lightly with a smile as a way of reassuring him. When she turned her back, another question sprang to mind that she couldn't resist asking.

"Hey Rai?"

Raimundo turned around to face her, having already started making his way back to the comfort of his sleeping mat.

"How come you've never been like this to be before?"

He looked shocked, but then he raised his eyebrow.

"Isn't it obvious?" When Meg shook her head, he continued, "I don't like Jack. He doesn't deserve your friendship, or more than that after today. I just think that you could do better. Jack Spicer always looks out for Jack Spicer. Maybe you should think about whether you really have forgiven him for what he did."

"He wasn't the one who did those things to me…" Meg whispered firmly.

"But he didn't stop them!" Raimundo objected.

"How could he? He's no fighter."

"Why can't you see that Jack Spicer is worthless? He's a snake in the grass who used to worship the ground Chase walked on, all until he realised that he'd actually hurt someone. The first time Spicer met Chase, he looked like he was in love. I'm telling you Meg, but you aren't listening, that dude's not your friend, and if you don't see it now, it's gonna be too late before you realise it." Raimundo's voice was growing louder as he spoke.

"Why do you care so much about if I forgive him or not?" Meg couldn't help but shout the words.

"Because he doesn't care about you!" Raimundo exclaimed, with the air of trying to explain something simple to someone stupid.

"Oh, and you do?" She said with clear sarcasm.

"Yes! Alright, I do care about you!" He bellowed in her face, showing her with spittle and turning bright red. She felt her jaw drop as he continued, his voice growing softer and softer.

"So much that I thought I was going to kill Chase and Jack when I pulled you outta those cells. You would've died if I hadn't pulled you outta there, and when you went straight to Jack and wanted him… Well, I'm not gonna lie, that hurt. I thought you were grateful for me pulling you out of there, but it felt like you were with him all along…"

Meg was speechless; she had just assumed that he hated Jack, but she had never assumed that Raimundo had even considered her as an ally. She had assumed that he thought of her as a colleague, but never something more.

"I am grateful, and I know I would've died if I'd've stayed there, but I just thought that you weren't interested… I thought that you considered it a burden…" She spoke truthfully. In fact, she had wondered if Raimundo had despised them both, and Kimiko and Jack's words of reassurance had done nothing to comfort her on this matter. "I thought you regretted it."

It was Raimundo's turn for his jaw to drop.

"I would never regret saving you." He said softly, taking her hand in his, staring into her eyes. "How could you think that?"

"I… just assumed that-" She mumbled, feeling overwhelmed. The sky had lightened considerably, and she knew that she would have to leave soon.

"You thought that all this was because I regretted it?" He asked with surprise, almost as if the question was ludicrous.

"Well… yes."

"It wasn't regret, Meg. It was…jealously. I was just jealous of the fact that you made Jack out to be some kind of hero. That's why I stay away from him… It should have been me that you chose, not him…"

The firmness in his soft voice left no doubt; he was being completely and utterly serious.

"B-but-" Meg could only manage to mumble, before adding nervously, "I gotta go." She tried to break her gaze with Raimundo and pull her hand away, but he clamped on tighter.

"Don't ever think that again. You mean just as much to me as you do to _him_. Don't ever forget that." And with that, Raimundo leant forward, leaving little to the imagination as to his intents. His soft lips pressed against hers, caressing them softly.

Meg stood, dazed for a moment. After a few seconds, her eyes burst open and she pulled away, shaking. It was too much for her to deal with; the betrayal, the truth, the passion, the secrets. She could barely believe what had just happened.

Raimundo looked horrified, "I-I'm sorry… Meg, I didn't mean to. Please don't… I mean…" He stammered, reaching out towards her as she backed away slowly. She blinked nervously, before managing to mumble: "I gotta go."

With that, she turned on her heel and ran from the Temple, her whole body shaking.

* * *

><p>Raimundo stood, feeling like more of an idiot than he had ever done before in his life.<p>

He'd just potentially lost Kimiko. He'd cheated.

Cheated.

Even the word felt dirty.

How could he have just thrown it all away like that?

_You idiot Raimundo Pedrosa, what the hell did you do that for? _

He cursed himself repeatedly, dreading his meeting with Kimiko in a few hours time, when the panic about Meg's disappearance began.

* * *

><p>Meg leant back in her seat, resting her head on the headrest and closing her tired eyes. It wasn't until she had sat down that she realised how exhausted she was.<p>

_It's okay, _she reassured herself, _you didn't do anything wrong. It was just a misunderstanding. Rai is with Kim, and he just got caught up in the moment. He didn't mean to do it…_

But the nagging voice in Meg's mind cropped up, echoing Raimundo's words repeatedly:

_You mean just as much to me and you do to him. Never forget that. _

Meg sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"Meg Sophie Newman…" She muttered to herself, unaware of the man sitting next to her, staring at her in confusion, "What have you gotten yourself into?"


	13. You Can Run But You Can't Hide

**((Apologies for the wait, writer's block and various other events have been distracting me from my writing in general. Yet the constant naggings of XxUltimateWeirdOxX to update have been spurring me on, and this is the result. So big thanks to her. Enjoy, and as always, review!))**

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE

Meg had thought of little else but her final moments with Raimundo as she travelled the endless journey to her parents. The words kept replaying over in her head, and she knew the dread of facing him, Kimiko and Jack when she returned back to her home, was not a reason to look forward to travelling back. The walk from the airport was long and tiring; she wished she could have taken a taxi, but she didn't have any money.

The night was miserable and cold, sending shivers down her spine. She was drenched from the heavy rain, which was pounding furiously against her, as the turned the corner, passing a group of drunken men. They yelled to her as she passed them, asking her to come with them, but she was so tired; she didn't even waste her energy responding to the potential paedophiles. She turned the litter-covered corner, reaching her street. Her temple robes were sopping, and she was exhausted from the long flight back to England. Meg felt the harsh wind batter against her, blowing the rain into her face. There was a crack of lightning, sending a bright flash into her vision. Then came the familiar grumble of thunder. Her whole body felt numb. All she could feel was cold as the rain pounded mercilessly on her. The street lamps were the only things lighting the street of terraced houses, and it was deadly quiet apart from the sound of cars in the distance. She walked slowly, hating how soggy clothes could affect someone's walking speed so much.

As she made her way slowly to her parents' house, she fumbled clumsily in her temple robes, which were clinging onto her wet skin, for her key, and thrust the tiny metal object into the lock on the front door. With a sharp turn, she pushed the door open and forced her stiff body into the dark shelter, giving a sigh of relief as the rain stopped slamming against her. The rain dripped onto the carpet as she thrust the door shut.

Giving herself a little shake, she glanced around her parents' dark house. It was empty, but then it was the early hours of the morning, so the couple would be in bed, sleeping soundly. Meg slipped off her soaked shoes, which had been squelching from the amount of water in them for the last half an hour. She flicked the sopping hair from her eyes. The only light was the flash of lightning that came and went every few minutes.

Her shoulders drooped with exhaustion, and she knew that she would have to sleep soon. Wearily, she moved towards the darkened stairs, trudging up them. She made no effort to be quiet; her parents wanted her home, so she would make damn sure that she wouldn't go to extra measures to keep them happy. Obviously, her happiness didn't matter to them, so why should theirs matter to her?

Another flash of lightning made her freeze; just for a moment, she spotted an all too familiar shadow. A gasp escaped her throat, but it was gone as fast as it came. It wasn't the first time she'd seen Chase when he hadn't be there, but it still shocked her.

"Damn hallucinations." She cursed aloud, mostly to reassure herself, "Damn Chase for fucking with my head…" Meg gave her head a little shake, almost wishing that it would shake the haunting images out.

She clambered to the top of the stairs, having to push her stiff legs up the last few. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the soft and warm bed, waiting for her as she crossed the hallway. It had been almost two days since she had slept; and exhaustion was approaching swiftly. The loud grunting snores emerging from her parents' room alerted her that her hypothesis was correct; they were sleeping soundly.

It was odd to think that the last time she had been here, she had been bubbling with excitement over the thought of never having to wear those thick woollen gloves again. With a smile, she glanced at her bare hands; it would bear as a reminder of her achievement over her element.

Her fingertips touched the door handle and pressed it down. The door swung forward and a smile split onto Meg's face; never had she been so pleased to see her bed. Without a second thought, she undressed out of her soaked clothes, tossing them carelessly on the floor, ripped back the quilt and dived into the warm, comfortable, dry bed.

Meg was asleep within seconds.

* * *

><p>"<em>Stop it!" Meg spat as she tripped over her own foot. She managed to save herself from the painful fall against the tarmac and continued to run. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she was dreaming, but that didn't stop her running from him.<em>

_She had been running through the streets of Coventry, her hometown, for a long time, being chased by her number one enemy: Chase Young. She had passed her friends on the way, who had somehow become Chase's Jungle Cats, sporting red pupils, and were running after her, dashing forwards and slashing their claws at her heels, trying to trip her. Master Fung was floating on a cloud above, singing a nursery rhyme that Meg had known since she was young. Occasionally, the old monk on the cloud would shout at Meg for being a failure and running away, rather than fighting, but other than that, his singing was continuous._

_Her breath was running short, and the sweat was dripping down her forehead. Her feet were bare as she ran down the middle of the seemingly never-ending road. The world's surface was curved, almost spherical; it was as if she was running around the Earth._

"_Leave me alone!" She screamed over her shoulder, as a giant version of Chase's head neared her. It was snapping its' razor-sharp teeth, like some kind of angry alligator continuously. _

_The whole place was deserted, and no matter which way she turned, there was no one coming to her aid. She had passed her parents a while back, who were both singing in harmony to Master Fung's nursery rhyme. When she had screamed at them for help; there had been no response._

_The only person she hadn't seen was Jack, and when he made his appearance, it had shocked her more that anything else in this bizarre world. He had been transformed into some kind of Shen Gong Wu alien. His entire body was made up of the magical objects, such as the Helmet of Jong on his head, as well as the Changing Chopsticks, sticking out of the top like antennae. His hands were the Third Arm Sash and the Glove of Jisaku, and his body was made up of the Two Ton Tunic, as well as the Wings of Tenabi on his back. Various other Wu made up his apparel, and Meg was shocked when he soared over the scene, skimming the hair on her head and leaving a rainbow trail in his wake. He didn't even look like Jack, and had the being not had pale skin and striking red hair, she never would have recognised him. _

"_Jack!" Meg cried, as his body soared over her. She tried to reach out and grab his foot, which was covered by the Jet Boot Su, but her reflexes were too slow. She missed him by inches. _

_Once again, as so often happened in her nightmares, Chase Young was only feet away from her, and gaining fast. His snapping jaws could have swallowed her whole, and those razor-sharp teeth looked strong enough to bite through bone. His breath reeked. Of what, Meg could not specify, but it was not pleasant. The sight, and smell, of Chase Young's giant gliding head, only spurned her on, encouraging her to move faster. _

_And then it all faded away._

_The scene darkened and Meg's breath instantly returned. Her thumping heart had slowed, presumably, because it wasn't pounding against her ears anymore. Her drained energy was replenished and she found herself in somewhere completely different._

_It was simply black. No light to be seen. How could the scene have changed so quickly into something so odd? _

_She glanced around, but she couldn't see a thing. Meg felt her way blindly, hoping for some kind of object to help her escape._

"_Jack?" She called through the darkness, hoping that the Shen Gong Wu-covered former villain would emerge somewhere and help her. _

_His cold laugh rang through the abyss._

_With a sinking feeling that sent shivers down her spine, Meg realised that she had been here before; she had visited this place in her nightmares previously… but something was different. Suddenly Meg's head was screaming at her, telling her that she wasn't dreaming anymore._

"_You can run, but you can't hide…" _

_A pair of reptilian eyes appeared through the gloom and Meg's scream split the darkness. _

* * *

><p>"RAI!" Kim bellowed, dashing into his cubicle and giving him a sharp jab to wake him up. He was drooling down his chin, lying on his back, and had been snoring softly. He quivered beneath his thin yellow blanket, jerking into consciousness. He grunted as his eyes shot open; they wheeled in their sockets, and when they finally found Kimiko, he looked at her blankly, almost with annoyance. The dim light peeking in through the window told him that it was the morning; Raimundo <em>hated <em>mornings. As Raimundo had said on numerous occasions: "_I'm more of a crack of noon kind of guy_", or at least, words to that effect.

"Kim, what're you doing?" He said through a yawn, rubbing his eyes. He pushed himself upright stiffly, still half asleep.

His brain didn't register the events that had happened, only hours ago.

Kimiko scoffed impatiently, tapping her foot. "Rai, there's an emergency." She said shortly, irritated that her boyfriend did not acknowledge the urgency in her voice.

"What?" He mumbled, rubbing the dried drool off his chin.

"Meg's gone! There's a note on her mat!" She exclaimed, raising her voice.

His eyes widened with alertness and he turned his head sharply to his lover.

"I know…" He said quietly, trying to calm her. He turned his soft green eyes to her blue ones, and tried to look reassuring.

"What?" Kimiko's expression transformed into one filled with confusion, "How could you possibly-?"

"I saw her leave." He cut through her sentence, moving to touch her hands comfortingly.

"What the hell? Where has she gone? When did she go? Why didn't you stop her?" She accused, pulling back her hand with annoyance.

"Calm down, Kim. She's gone back home." He said calmly, trying to make her lower her voice; Kimiko was not the quietest one of the bunch. "Her parents need her to go home for a little while. She's gonna be back soon, she promised."

Kimiko's jaw dropped and she punched Raimundo, hard, on his shoulder. "You let her leave in the middle of the night?"

Raimundo flinched, gasping and rubbing his shoulder.

"God, Kim, nice arm!" He whined sarcastically, "Of course I let her leave. I couldn't stop her! Her parents don't want her here, so she went back to explain. She said she'd be a few days, tops."

"What if it was Chase?" Kimiko's eyes went wide.

"It wasn't. I checked." Raimundo patted her hand softly.

"Hasn't she ever heard of a cellphone?" Kimiko sighed, before she gave a small smirk, "or a _mobile?_" She imitated the British word in Meg's accent. Kimiko's impressions had been another source of entertainment for Meg.

Raimundo sighed and looked into her eyes, "Can I go back to sleep now?"

Kimiko laughed, "Only you, Raimundo."

"I'm being serious! I'd kill for a few more minutes…or hours."

Kimiko chuckled again, but when they subsided, she nodded.

"I gotta go talk to Jack…" She spoke; her brow furrowing. It was going to be difficult explaining why she had left when Kimiko was unsure herself.

She knew Raimundo would not have let her leave unless he was sure of her intents, but still, the thought of Meg halfway around the word and alone, did not reassure her.

Kimiko would give Meg four days; if she had not returned by then, she would travel to Meg's hometown and bring her back herself.

* * *

><p>Meg saw only black. The first thing that might hint that she was stirring was her indescribable thirst. It was like her whole mouth had shrivelled while she had been asleep; even her own tongue felt alien as it poked its' way against the inside of her mouth. She attempted to make a noise, yet no sound could be made. Not even a single squeak or rasping groan could be made.<p>

Her arms were so numb, she couldn't feel them, but from the way her shoulders were positioned, she could tell they were raised above her head. She could feel some ground beneath her feet, but her shoes restricted any further identification.

After failing to speak, she decided to focus on what she could smell and hear, before she was brave enough to open her eyes. There was the soft sound of breathing; too many beings' to count. She took a breath through her nose; the musky scent of her most-feared place.

A wave of fear swept over her, making her whole body tremble. The noise of metal clinking together sounded from above her head. Meg could suddenly feel the pull of gravity on her wrists, which were encased in something hard, which was making her arms feel wooden and her wrists throb painfully.

"Welcome back." An icy voice spoke.

Meg's eyes thrust open instantly.


	14. Just Desserts

**((Wow! It's been a while hasn't it? Sorry for such a wait. Hope you like this chapter since I found it really difficult to work with so much going on in my life at the moment. I'm going to be trying to spend more time writing so hopefully this means I can get new chapters up every week! As always, hope you enjoy and please leave a review! You know how I like them!))**

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: JUST DESERTS

"Meg has left?" Omi asked, raising his eyebrows.

"That's right…" Kimiko confirmed, taking a sear at the dining table with her fellow Dragons.

"But why?" Clay questioned, taking another spoonful of his cereal into his mouth and chewing noisily. A few drops of milk dribbled down his chin, but he didn't seem to notice, or care.

"Raimundo saw her leave. There was a complication involving her parents, and she had to go back home to fix it. She also left a note. Here." Kimiko handed Clay and Omi a note, who huddled together in unison to read it.

When they had finished, Omi scowled. "I do not like this."

"Me either, but… it's her decision. Since Raimundo saw her go, so I don't think she's in any danger. Meg can handle herself now, especially with the use of her element under control…" Kimiko tried to reassure them, but honestly, she needed comforting herself. To her annoyance, Raimundo did not seem to feel like offering that comfort.

"What did she say Raimundo?" Clay inquired, looking at him for answers.

The tanned boy turned his green eyes towards the cowboy and grimaced.

"Read the letter, it says what she said." He said simply, frowning slightly. Kimiko sighed, giving Raimundo's hand a squeeze beneath the breakfast table. He did not return the affection, but merely stared blankly ahead into Clay's cereal bowl, ignoring everyone. He felt nothing short of terrible. He had cheated. Of course, he didn't love Meg, he loved Kimiko, and he was stupid to do what he did. He could possibly lose the girl he loved over such an idiotic mistake. He had made a move on Meg merely in the heat of the moment. It had meant nothing to him.

He was scum. He'd been treating Jack like something on the bottom of his shoe, simply because of jealousy? He'd kissed Meg, just because of jealousy? It wasn't even lust for her, he was happy with Kimiko. He'd been violent, angry; no wonder Jack stayed away from him. He'd even been ignoring Kimiko lately.

With a sigh, he knew he would have to complete the daunting task of telling Kimiko what he had done. If he lost her over this, he would never forgive himself. Guilt washed over him, making him wish the ground would swallow him up so that he didn't have to face up to his actions. With another pang of guilt, he realised that at some point he would have to confess what he had done to Jack; as if the redhead didn't hate him enough already!

Although Raimundo wasn't entirely surprised at that – he'd been a jerk to him. And for no good reason really.

Raimundo allowed himself a deep, calming breath while the others continued to chatter over breakfast. Drowning in his guilt, he leant over to whisper in Kimiko's ear.

"Kimiko… I need to speak to you… Can we go somewhere?"

Kimiko looked uncertain and worried. She gave a confused nod, and they both left the table together.

* * *

><p>A furious yell ripped from her throat.<p>

"WHAT?"

Raimundo shrank in his seat, not turning his eyes to look at her. He had known she would be angry; getting angry was just Kimiko's way of dealing with things, but he hoped the phase would pass quickly.

She glared at him incredulously, almost daring him to repeat himself. He did not respond.

"Tell me why! Go on, give me your pathetic excuse!" Kimiko shouted, not quite so loudly as before.

Raimundo took a deep breath.

"I don't know…" He said miserably. He had always tried to fess up to his mistakes, and face the consequences, but he was having a hard time to really explain why he had done it. Why _had _he done it?

"Is that your best answer?" She spat furiously, pacing before him. Kimiko's face grew slowly redder. "Come on, tell me the truth!"

"You have every right to be angry, Kim-" He began but she cut him short with a scoff.

"Forget angry, more like livid. What the hell is wrong with you? Did I do something wrong?" She was barely shouting anymore now. Instead, it sounded like there was a catch in her throat. She had stopped pacing now, and instead had turned away from him, her head lowered.

"Kim… I…" He faltered, "I can't explain why. I don't know. All I know is that I don't want her. I don't love her. I love you, and I can't believe I've messed this up. I can't even tell you how sorry I am. I've been so ridiculously obsessed with not getting the glory for saving her from Chase's place that I… I don't know… I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot." He paused for a moment, putting his head in his hands and gave a heavy sigh.

"You just wanted the glory?" Kimiko would have spat the words if she could have, but the catch in her throat just meant she sounded weak.

"I know." He lifted his head, his eyes pleading, and sparkling with wetness. "I'm so sorry. I'm such an idiot to mess things up. You're the best thing in my life. I don't want to let you go, or lose you." He spoke bitterly towards himself, standing up to move towards her slowly. He had planned to pull her to his embrace. Kimiko, however, had other ideas.

Kimiko was volatile at the best of times, and now was no exception. She summoned her element faster than he could register, and it wasn't until a searing pain shot across his torso that he began to process what had happened. He screamed as it burned into his flesh, like a white hot poker against him. Raimundo felt himself stumble backwards, clutching at the excruciating pain on his chest.

"Just leave me alone, Rai." Kimiko hissed, sweeping from the room before Raimundo could reach out to stop her.

Clutching at the searing pain in his chest, he chased after her, stumbling slightly from the shock of it.

"Kim!" He called out desperately, and then halted himself from chasing after her.

It was best to leave her alone.

The sound of the door sliding open behind Raimundo made him turn sharply, and Clay was poking his head through, looking apologetic.

"Man, you look lower than a tick on a dog's belly." He observed, eyeing the brunettes look of dismay.

"If I dug a hole I couldn't feel any lower..." He replied solemnly, his head drooping in sadness.

"What happened, buddy?" Clay asked curiously. From the tone of his voice, Raimundo could already tell that Clay had most likely heard Kimiko's furious shouts, and realised the basis of the story.

Raimundo sat down and ran his fingers through his hair, then cupped his head in his hands ashamedly. "I did something bad..."

"What kinda bad? 'Cause from where I was standin', that sounded like it was worse than just bad. And that burn on your chest ain't exactly a carpet burn, is it?"

"I kissed Meg." Raimundo admitted, the words sounding dead and lifeless.

Clay did not respond with a gasp, as Omi would have done, but merely nodded calmly. "Oh, is that why she left?"

"No." Raimundo stood up in frustration, pacing the room in his momentary anger. "I was trying to stop her leaving, and... I don't know... it just happened, and now Kimiko's pissed off with me over it, and she has every right to be, but if I lose her..."

"Aww," Clay stepped forward, resting his giant hand on Raimundo's shoulder comfortingly. "Kimiko'll come around. You two are like two peas in a pod, you belong together. You know she's a hothead. Just let her cool down, and then things'll be back to normal."

There was a long pause, and it wasn't until Clay had left the room that Raimundo even thought to agree with him. "Yeah..." He said to the empty room, feeling heavily weighed down.

* * *

><p>Meg gasped in horror and immediately began to tremble, as stood only a few feet away from her, was the man that she hated more than anybody else on the earth. That nasty smirk was present on his face, surrounded by his enslaved jungle cats, and the floating ghost that Meg despised.<p>

Meg couldn't speak; her whole body was numb from her fear. She didn't even know how to do anything but stare. She could feel her body shaking in her bindings. She was chained to some kind of bar above her head, and with another jolt of fear, she realised that there would be no way out of this one.

Determined not to let the fear take over her, she managed to force her body to move again, struggling in the chains above her head. Groaning with effort, she first tried to break her way out of the metal cuffs, and then to slip out from them, but her efforts were useless. She would not show her fear. Just because she was afraid, it did not mean she was weak, that she could not fight back. That determination to be the Xiaolin Dragon inside her was suddenly burning brightly inside her chest, fuelling her energy and telling her to not stop trying.

Chase and Wuya chuckled nastily in unison. Wuya was hovering in her gloating way, close to his shoulder.

"There's no use fighting." Wuya said matter-of-factly, in her usual taunting voice.

"Oh, I think you'll find there's every reason to keep fighting." She snapped in response, her throat searing with every word.

"Give it up, Meg." Chase said softly, almost like he was asking her to do it, rather than commanding her. He took a few steps towards her, so that he was almost eye to eye with her. "The half-wit isn't here to send help for you this time. You followed my plan quite nicely actually, since no one knows you're here, and now it's just us three." He waved a hand behind him to gesture towards Wuya.

"That doesn't mean I can't fight you." She struggled in her chains again, her heart pounding in her frustration and desperation to break free. "What's with the chains? Scared I might be too strong for you now?" Meg challenged, hoping her taunts would earn her freedom. It was a futile hope. "Aww…" She smirked, "Is big bad Chase afraid of me?"

Chase Young stared at her, apparently amused, with an eyebrow raised in surprise.

"You surprise me, Meg." He said simply, turning away from her.

"Did I hit a nerve? Give me the chance and I could hit a lot more." Meg taunted, glaring at him.

"I see you're confident, a trait Omi also possesses." Chase noted, and Meg remembered what Master Fung had told her about Chase Young – Omi had always been the one that he had tried to recruit. Did that mean she was his replacement?

Meg did not know how to reply so instead chose to glare at Chase Young with as much hatred for him as she could muster.

He raised his eyebrow in vague amusement again.

"Any particular reason I'm back here, or was the old hag's company not enough for you?" Meg jerked her head towards Wuya, who gave an offended groan.

Chase Young narrowed his eyes dangerously and folded his arms. "You are here for a very evil purpose, and you will fulfil it whether you like it or not."

She listened to the words he spoke carefully, taking them in. "Is that a threat?" She asked, determined not to show how afraid she truly was. In fact, she felt like she was going to emotionally break down any second, but she wouldn't show him that, no matter what. "I thought you were honourable? Showdowns instead of just plain old kidnap." She forced a smirk, driving her point home, "Obviously you've had to lower your fighting standards. Shame, I guess times have hit you hard, huh?"

Chase Young kept his face blank and expressionless. He stepped towards her, his face slightly higher than hers, and glared down at her. She could honestly say she was terrified.

"I'm surprised, but rarely fooled." He commented coldly, pressing a gloved finger to her temple gently, "Don't forget who has the ability to read others minds."

"So kidnap as well as spying? Wow. That's low." Meg retorted immediately, determined to push his buttons as much as she could. While she was frightened, she definitely wasn't going down that easy.

Wuya gave a hiss of annoyance. "Are you sure you're making the right decision?"

Chase Young turned away, smiling to Wuya. While his back was turned, Meg moved to kick him sharply, but he obviously sensed her movement and took a step forwards without even flinching.

"Fuck," She cursed in annoyance, earning a nasty chuckle from Chase.

"I'm certain of it." He replied to Wuya, who looked confused. "By the time they realise Meg has not returned home and will not return to their Temple, the monks and Spicer will arrive here seeking revenge, giving me the perfect opportunity to defeat them with my new found element."

"Element?" Meg stared, her jaw dropping in surprise.

Chase Young turned around once again, tilted his head condescendingly.

"You have three options here Meg, would you like to hear them?" He asked, talking down to her once more.

"Not really," Meg glared once more, "The way I see it, I'm getting out of here one way or another."

Chase smirked, his evil eyes flashing dangerously, "No one knows you're here. I have you prisoner. The jungle cats are at my command and I am also watching you. Do you really think you have a chance of escaping?"

"Untie me and I'll give it a shot." Meg replied hopefully. Her element crackled around her fingertips threateningly.

"I give you three choices," Chase continued as if she had not spoken,"Number one, you can swear your loyalty to me and remain at my side as I rule the world."

Meg scoffed, "Not gonna happen."

"Number two," Chase continued, ignoring her reply, "You sacrifice your element to me, and walk away from here free."

"And option three?" Meg's voice was low and much quieter now. Her fear was growing inside her by the second.

"I take your element from you, and you do not walk away." Chase finished with a smirk.

Meg stared at him in horror, her mouth open in shock.

"Better decide fast. Now your element is mastered, there's little need to waste time. You have three hours." Chase Young turned and walked away, leaving Meg alone in the room with two jungle cats watching her.

"Become evil, lose my element, or die." Meg summarised aloud, her heart thumping in her chest.

Each option seemed the worst, but none seemed the best. After a long process of thinking, she finally decided that losing her element would be the best for her, since she would walk out of the place, having lost something that she had once considered a burden. She no longer considered it a burden; it was a gift. But if she did lose that gift, Chase would use it against her friends, against the world. Was it possible that losing her element would plunge the world into darkness?

Whichever way she looked at it, it seemed that losing her element was inevitable. Even if she swore allegiance to Chase, he would have control over her and her element, so she would essentially have lost it anyway.

She tested the chains above her, holding her arms, but they were too tight to even move in them. Her wrists were aching and her fingertips were numb, not to mention the position was extremely uncomfortable. She clenched her hands into fists, and with all of her strength and determination, Meg yanked at the shackles in an attempt to break out of them. The attack did nothing but cause her wrists more pain.

At that moment, Meg felt truly helpless, and she knew that no amount of wishing would set her free, but she could not help it. Whatever she did, Chase was going to take over the world using her element. If she gave it to him willingly, she would be helpless to the Xiaolin Monks, and it was a part of her. Meg saw no point in even considering giving it to him; it was not something that should be given. Deep down, she had always known she was special; a chosen one. Chase was not.

No, she could not stand by and allow him to take it from her.

She could see no point in striking up any amazing plans either, or even bothering to fight him for it. He could tell her every move before she had even decided to do it. The bastard was so deeply wound up inside her mind that Meg would have bet that he was listening as she weighed out her options.

_If you're listening, arsehole, I'm not giving you my element. Kidnap, spying and now stealing too? Looks like you've sunk even lower than before. You should be proud..._

She thought bitterly, shouting the words in her head as she thought them.

The fact was, Meg knew there was no way out, and frankly that terrified her. If Raimundo had confessed to Kim, Kim would no-doubt be fuming with anger at the pair of them, and would surely not see reason. She would hate to leave things how they were at the moment. Jack would blame Raimundo for letting her go, Raimundo would retaliate, leaving Kimiko in more anger.

It was pointless wishing that something miraculous would happen, but while things stood the way there were, without a miracle, Meg knew that she had very little chance of ever leaving Chase's home. Wishes were never something Meg had believed in, but at that moment, she would have given anything for them to be real.

* * *

><p>Kimiko grabbed her bag, which was teeming with clothes, so much so that the bag could be considered over-packed. A pair of socks hung out of the side, dangling loosely, but Kimiko was too furious to care. She yanked it to her side and stormed off to find Dojo, who could usually be found with Master Fung.<p>

After a few minutes of searching each room of the temple, she found Dojo and Master Fung enjoying some tea together in a quiet room of the temple that was rarely used. When the old monk spotted Kimiko's bag, he raised an eyebrow.

"Kimiko, are you going somewhere?"

"England. Meg's gone home. I have to bring her back." She answered politely, eyeing Dojo pleadingly. The dragon caught her stare and shook his head.

"No way, I can't fly right now, not after drinking all this tea. I don't fly well when I've drank too much." He batted his eyelids sweetly in an attempt to stop her being angry with him and then grabbed his stomach and bounced it up and down to show her the sloshing noise that emerged from it. "See? I'm sloshy."

.Kimiko gave a sigh. "Permission to use the Silver Manta Ray, Master Fung?" She asked brightly, despite the raging inferno in her chest. She wasn't really going to bring Meg back, she wanted an explanation. Meg owed her that much. Raimundo had never even wavered in his relationship with Kimiko before Meg came along, and now because of her, he had betrayed her. Deep down, she knew it wasn't really Meg's fault, but that didn't stop her wanting to scream at her in anger.

"Kimiko... I do not think it is wise. You and the other monks may need to travel to collect a Shen Gong Wu. You know you are at your stronger when you work together." Master Fung tried to reason with Kimiko, but she shook her head.

"The guys will be fine without me Master Fung." Kimiko said finally, "Now Jack isn't after the Wu, they're already at an advantage."

Master Fung gave a sigh and nodded resignedly. "Very well. Take the Silver Manta Ray, but I suggest you take Spicer with you. With Meg gone, he will be feeling agitated, and I do not think Raimundo would fare well around him."

Kimiko nodded and turned away, heading for the vault.

Dojo looked to Master Fung as Kimiko left the room. "Why let her go if you think it's a mistake?" He asked curiously.

"Because, Dojo Kanojo Cho, I sense a great evil at work here. It is most troubling. I fear it is a bad time for the monks to be divided in such a way. Kimiko must return with Meg. If not, I fear that the monks will never be fully united again. If they do not learn to work together, despite their differences-"

"Yeah yeah," Dojo interrupted with a grin, "life as we know it will cease to exist."

Master Fung gave a sigh and rolled his eyes, laughing softly.

* * *

><p>Just outside the Temple grounds, Kimiko was preparing to leave. She had a small backpack filled with snacks, a bag teeming with clothes, and she had also brought her laptop and cell phone alone for the ride, if her thoughts did not occupy her for the entire ride, that was.<p>

"Silver Manta Ray!" Kimiko called, activating the tiny Shen Gong Wu. It glowed golden and then swelled into the giant machine that she was so used to seeing. She climbed up the side of it, sitting down in the seat.

At that moment, Spicer's car pulled up outside the Temple. He was nodding to the beat of the heavy rock music blasting through the speakers. Jack Spicer pulled his car close to the walls and smiled at Kimiko through the windshield, turning off the pounding music. "Hey Kim," He called pleasantly as he stepped out of the car, "Where can I find Meg today?"

Kimiko took a moment to stare at Jack.

"Going on vacation?" He gestured towards the Silver Manta Ray and the bags in the front seat.

"Get in Spicer, I'll explain everything on the way." Kimiko replied in a dull but authoritative tone.

"But-"

"Just get in." She snapped, and Spicer did not dare to interrupt her again. He climbed inside the Shen Gong Wu, throwing Kimiko's bags behind the seats, and they clattered noisily behind them.

"If you've broken anything, you're paying for it." Kimiko grumbled as the Manta Ray's hood dropped down over the pair of them and the engine began to whir.

"So...Where are we going?" Jack asked cautiously, worried that Kimiko might snap at him again, but luckily her response was calm.

"Meg's gone home. We're going to get her. I'll tell you more once we're up." Kimiko explained as she began to activate the necessary dials and buttons inside the machine, causing several clicking noises and beeps to sound. Jack knew it would be dangerous to question her further on the matter, and instead decided to remain silent.

Raimundo emerged from the Temple, jogging towards the Silver Manta Ray and waving his arms to get their attention. Kimiko pretended not to notice and fastened her seat belt, and then placed her hands on the controls.

"KIM!" Raimundo bellowed over the whir of the engine, still trying to catch her eye.

Raimundo's flailing arms caught Jack's attention, but he said nothing to Kimiko, who looked livid. She gave a low growl under her breath, and the Manta Ray turned sharply and rose from the floor, bolting towards the clouds with a zoom, leaving Raimundo staring at the disappearing Wu sadly.

* * *

><p>Kimiko had cooled down in the past hour they had been travelling. She had set the controls to auto-pilot so that she could relax on the journey. Spicer had resorted to playing games on his cell phone to pass the time, whereas Kimiko had been staring out of the window thoughtfully for a while.<p>

"DAMN ZOMBIES!" Jack bellowed as he failed the level he had been stuck on for the last half an hour again.

"Give it here, I bet you suck." Kimiko gave a smile and held her hand out to take the cell phone from him.

"Since when were you an expert in Goo Zombies 5?" Spicer said sarcastically, and then folded his arms in annoyance.

Kimiko cracked a smug smile, "I think you're forgetting who I am, Spicer. My dad practically owns the Goo Zombies' company."

Jack frowned with embarrassment, "Yeah, I know," He stuttered, "I-I knew that." He looked flustered, "You know what,_ if _you can beat that level, I'll be amazed."

Kimiko stuck her tongue out to help her concentrate as she twisted the cell phone in the air as she played, as if it would help her win. After a few minutes of concentration, the level complete noise sounded and Kimiko punched the air in triumph, "Yeah!"

She stuck her tongue out and Jack looked at her in astonishment. "Okay, you're the queen of video-games." He admitted, taking the phone back with a reluctant smile.

Kimiko's smile faded as she looked out at the sky again, and Jack decided that he would try his luck and see what information he could get out of Kimiko now.

"So, how much longer do we have left?"

"Couple of hours," She replied as she glanced at the dashboard, and then peered out of the window to look at the rippling ocean beneath them.

"Right. And why did Meg leave?" It had been niggling at the back of his mind for a while, but with Kimiko in a bad mood, trying to get anything out of her was like a blind man trying to navigate his way across a mine field.

"Her parents were freaking out about her staying over here, so she had to go back to sort things out at home, or something like that. She had a letter from them and left in the middle of the night and left a note for us." Kimiko answered, being deliberately vague. She could not even recall the note that Meg had scribbled out and left for them now.

Her response sent Jack into a panic, "How do you know it wasn't Chase kidnapping her again?"

"Raimundo saw her leave," She answered bitterly, grinding her teeth together, "And tried to persuade her to stay by kissing her."

Jack looked at her for a moment like he was about to explode. His eyes were bulging in their sockets, and his bottom lip was jutting out slightly. Kimiko glanced at him and then out the window, "He said it didn't mean anything, and he's sorry..." She said aloud, "But I don't know...He said he wanted to glory for saving her, and he was jealous, or...something, I didn't really hear him out..." Kimiko looked solemn now. "I think I should call him when we land and clear things up."

"Hang on a minute!" Jack shouted loudly, "you're telling me that _your _boyfriend, kissed _my_ girlfriend?"

Kimiko nodded sadly, "Yes, Jack, that is what I'm telling you." She spoke calmly, yet it was undeniable that there were traces of her sadness in her tone.

Her calm tone caught Jack off-guard, and he was stunned that she was now so calm about the situation. He shook his head, looking pale and withdrawn. "Just step on it, will you Kim? I gotta hear the story from her..."

"We're doing maximum speed. According to this we've got another ninety minutes before we get there." Kimiko said quietly, examining the dashboard.

"Can't you make it go any faster?" Jack asked desperately, clearly tormented by the news he had just received.

"I know, Jack." Kimiko answered comfortingly, and she gave him a one-armed hug, "It hurt me too."

Jack ran his fingers through his spiked red hair and gave a sigh. "I guess there's nothing that can be done about it now. Let's see what Meg has to say for herself."

"Yeah, and then I'll know if I have to kill her or not..." Kimiko spoke bitterly, and there was no doubt that she meant was she said.

* * *

><p>The rest of the journey was filled with an uncomfortable silence, broken only when Jack would ask how long there was left. As the Manta Ray zoomed over England, Jack and Kimiko exchanged nervous glances. Their transport dropped them near an alleyway between long streets of houses, and left Kimiko and Jack trying to work out which house was Meg's. After a quick cell-phone call to Dojo, who was able to ask Master Fung and find out which house they were supposed to look for, the pair were finally on the right track to finding Meg's house.<p>

Jack had complained the whole time about the weather; "Why's it so cloudy? It's so cold. Do they ever get any sun here?" He kept glancing up at the cloudy skies above.

"As if you care about the sun, Spicer, you're paler than a ghost. I bet you spend all day in the basement and never go outside, huh?" Kimiko teased, and Jack shot her a look that clearly showed he wasn't amused. Landing in England had seemed to take Kimiko's mind off Raimundo, which made her much better company.

"Oi!" Someone called, causing Jack and Kimiko to turn around simultaneously. A tall teenage boy with a spotty face and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, in a grey tracksuit and black trainers darted up to the pair of them. "Have either of you'se got a lighter I can borrow?" He asked, lifting the cigarette up. Kimiko could not help but notice that the teen's gaze lingered on Jack. Obviously he was having a hard-time getting used to Spicer's outfit, and the fact that he was wearing makeup.

"Here," Jack said, pulling a lighter out of his pocket and handing it over.

"Agh, cheers mate, I've been dying for a fag for ages, and no one's had a lighter. Gotta start carrying my own around now, innit? People ain't generous these days." He took the lighter from Jack and lit his cigarette with it, before handing it back over. "Thanks again, mate. Take care, yeah?" He called as he walked away, puffing on his cigarette.

Kimiko looked confused and shocked, but Jack was walking along pleasantly.

"What the hell was that?" She asked, "I thought English people were all 'Ello there love!'. Smashing good day!" Kimiko put on a bad British accent, and Jack sniggered.

"Meg doesn't talk like that." Jack pointed out.

"Well, I just thought she was from a different part of England." Kimiko admitted. "Since when do you carry around a lighter?"

"I've always had it, but I never took up smoking so I just never use it that much. My dad sent it to me from Hong Kong a few years back. I don't see him much, so it's just... sorta like a keepsake. Makes me feel closer to him, I guess."

Kimiko wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, and so instead got back to the task at hand.

"It's that way, we're almost there."

Jack and Kimiko followed the road signs as various cars drove past them and various different people walked past them. Kimiko was fascinated that the cars were driving on the opposite side of the road to in America, and Jack had to remind her why they were there to pull her away. When they finally reached Meg's street and knocked on the door, Meg's mother answered the door. She was plump and short, young for her age, but her pale complexion and hair was almost a complete replica of Meg's. They could have been twins, if her mother had shared her eye colour and lost some weight.

"Hello," Kimiko said politely, "I'm a friend of Meg's, may I speak with her please?"

Her mother gave a small sigh, "She's not here. She's gone to a school in China for gifted and talented people. What's your name? When I speak with her on the phone, I'll tell her you called."

Kimiko and Jack were stunned.

"We heard she was coming back here." Jack managed to stammer in response.

"Oh no, no." Meg's mother answered kindly, "She's staying over there. As if I could make her come back! She seems to really like it over there. I haven't spoken with her or seen her for a while. She's far too busy with her studies to keep in contact with us." She gave a joking laugh, "Anyway, I'll tell her you called. What are your names?"

"Um..Robert and ...Nicole." Jack answered.

"Well, Robert and Nicole, I'll tell her you called. Bye now!" Meg's mother closed the door, leaving Kimiko and Jack speechless.

"What the hell?" Kimiko was stunned.

"I don't think Meg's parents wrote that letter..." Jack said quietly, and Kimiko stared at him in response.

"What do you mean?"

"Her mom hasn't seen or spoken to her, she knows Meg doesn't want to leave and that she likes it over at the Temple... She didn't mention anything about Meg coming back..." Jack explained.

Kimiko did not look convinced, "Maybe she just didn't want to tell us too much. I mean, we are just strangers at the door?"

"So why would she lie and say Meg wasn't there if she was?"

"I don't know. Families are weird." Kimiko shrugged.

"Just humour me for a moment." Jack stared seriously into her eyes, "If Meg's parents never really wrote that letter, it would be a perfect way to lure Meg away without suspicion! Chase knows Meg is safe at the Temple. That's why he wanted to get her away! Of course Meg couldn't deny her parents, they're her parents! And we wouldn't have thought anything of it because she was going home. It's the perfect crime!" Jack's eyes were going glazy at he spoke, and Kimiko watched him with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know Jack, it's weird for sure, but Chase?"

"Kimiko, look at the facts. She had been hallucinating and seeing him everywhere. You can call it trauma but she really believed that she was seeing him. She's been having nightmares about him. And you know he can control minds. He was hurting her, you even saw it happen! Look what happened the last time he had her. Meg almost died. If Chase really does have her, I can't take that risk. I need you to humour me on this one. Just come with me to Chase's place. If I'm wrong, fine, I'm wrong, but at least we'll know the truth." Jack's eyes were pleading and Kimiko gave a resigned sigh.

"Fine, we'll check out Chase's place... But if she's not there, you owe me big time." Kimiko grumbled, but Jack was in no mood for jokes right now. Something in his heart was telling him that Meg was in danger. He only hoped that if he hunch was right, that he and Kimiko would get there in time, before Chase could hurt Meg.

* * *

><p>Thousands and thousands of miles away, Meg had somehow managed to fall asleep in her upright position. Her wrists were throbbing and bruised and her arms were so numb she felt that she would surely fall off.<p>

She felt herself being poked lightly in the stomach, and groaned. "Get off me, Omi." She grumbled, forgetting her predicament.

"Sorry," Chase Young called loudly, and Meg jerked awake to find his face only inches away from her. She glared at him and threw herself as far away from him as she could, which was only a few more inches. "Don't you dare touch me again." She hissed at him furiously.

"Have you made your decision?" He asked smoothly, giving a sinister smile.

"I have," Meg answered bitterly, "It's to tell you to go and fuck yourself."

Chase's response was cold as he summarised the situation.

"Very well. You have chosen not to cooperate. You will lose your element to me. You will not be leaving here."

Meg felt a bolt of fear run through her body, leaving her feeling as cold as Chase's tone.

"The Ceremony will begin in two hours. I must make preparations. I hope you enjoy what is left of your existence." Chase Young smiled nastily, leaving Meg horrified.

She stared blankly for a few minutes as the horrible reality set in. Her heart seemed to be pounding against her chest furiously, like it was playing a cruel joke on her, especially as in a few hours, it would not be beating at all. Meg felt as if her stomach was literally about to fall out of her bottom. Her breath seemed to have vanished from her lungs, leaving her panting heavily.

The fear and regret began to set in. There was so much in life that she had not accomplished. She would never get to become a full Xiaolin Dragon, like Omi, Clay, Kimiko and Raimundo would. She would never even see the temple again. Meg wondered if Kimiko would forgive her for what she and Raimundo had done. Maybe Kimiko would hate her forever. Would her death cause Kimiko happiness? Meg thought of Jack, wondering what his life would be like when she was dead and gone.

What if Chase Young kept it a secret forever? What if they never found out what Chase had done to her?

Meg could only guess at the answers to the thousands of questions that were running through her head.

It was frightening to think that it was a few hours until she would die.

It was also frightening to think that in a few hours, Chase Young would have total and utter control over her element.

Yet the most terrifying thing of all was that the Xiaolin Dragons would then have much less chance of defeating Chase, and with her element, he could easily take over the world.

That thought alone, was enough to bring tears to Meg's eyes.

"Jack..." She whispered to herself almost silently, her eyes brimming with tears, "Where are you?"

* * *

><p>Thousands of miles away, Jack was climbing into the Silver Manta Ray as Kimiko started the engine.<p>

"I'm coming Meg..."

* * *

><p><strong>((I added a few more bits and bobs to this chapter, nothing major. Would appreciate a few reviews, my lovelys! :D))<strong>


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